Isaiah 45:11-17

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition

¹¹ Thus says the Lord,
    the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker:
“Will you question me^[a] about my children,
    or command me concerning the work of my hands?
¹² I made the earth,
    and created man upon it;
it was my hands that stretched out the heavens,
    and I commanded all their host.
¹³ I have aroused him in righteousness,
    and I will make straight all his ways;
he shall build my city
    and set my exiles free,
not for price or reward,”
    says the Lord of hosts.

¹⁴ Thus says the Lord:
“The wealth of Egypt and the merchandise of Ethiopia,
    and the Sabe′ans, men of stature,
shall come over to you and be yours,
    they shall follow you;
    they shall come over in chains and bow down to you.
They will make supplication to you, saying:
    ‘God is with you only, and there is no other,
    no god besides him.’”
¹⁵ Truly, thou art a God who hidest thyself,
    O God of Israel, the Savior.
¹⁶ All of them are put to shame and confounded,
    the makers of idols go in confusion together.
¹⁷ But Israel is saved by the Lord
    with everlasting salvation;
you shall not be put to shame or confounded
    to all eternity.

Genesis 22:1-18

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition

The Command to Sacrifice Isaac

22 After these things God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here am I.” ² He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Mori′ah, and offer him there as a burnt offering upon one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” ³ So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac; and he cut the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. ⁴ On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place afar off. ⁵ Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the ass; I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.” ⁶ And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it on Isaac his son;^[a] and he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together. ⁷ And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here am I, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood; but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” ⁸ Abraham said, “God will provide himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together.

⁹ When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar, upon the wood. ¹⁰ Then Abraham put forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. ¹¹ But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here am I.” ¹² He said, “Do not lay your hand on the lad or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” ¹³ And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns; and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. ¹⁴ So Abraham called the name of that place The Lord will provide;^[b] as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”^[c]

¹⁵ And 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 multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore. And your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies, ¹⁸ and by your descendants shall all the nations of the earth bless themselves, because you have obeyed my voice.”

Proverbs 17:17-18:5

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition

¹⁷ A friend loves at all times,
    and a brother is born for adversity.
¹⁸ A man without sense gives a pledge,
    and becomes surety in the presence of his neighbor.
¹⁹ He who loves transgression loves strife;
    he who makes his door high seeks destruction.
²⁰ A man of crooked mind does not prosper,
    and one with a perverse tongue falls into calamity.
²¹ A stupid son is a grief to a father;
    and the father of a fool has no joy.
²² A cheerful heart is a good medicine,
    but a downcast spirit dries up the bones.
²³ A wicked man accepts a bribe from the bosom
    to pervert the ways of justice.
²⁴ A man of understanding sets his face toward wisdom,
    but the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.
²⁵ A foolish son is a grief to his father
    and bitterness to her who bore him.
²⁶ To impose a fine on a righteous man is not good;
    to flog noble men is wrong.
²⁷ He who restrains his words has knowledge,
    and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding.
²⁸ Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise;
    when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.
18 He who is estranged^[a] seeks pretexts^[b]
    to break out against all sound judgment.
² A fool takes no pleasure in understanding,
    but only in expressing his opinion.
³ When wickedness comes, contempt comes also;
    and with dishonor comes disgrace.
⁴ The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters;
    the fountain of wisdom is a gushing stream.
⁵ It is not good to be partial to a wicked man,
    or to deprive a righteous man of justice.

 

19 The holy martyrs Chrysanthus and Daria, whom Pope Saint Damasus praised. (c. 253)

 

Isaiah 42:5-16

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition

⁵ Thus says God, the Lord,
    who created the heavens and stretched them out,
    who spread forth the earth and what comes from it,
who gives breath to the people upon it
    and spirit to those who walk in it:
⁶ “I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness,
    I have taken you by the hand and kept you;
I have given you as a covenant to the people,
    a light to the nations,
⁷     to open the eyes that are blind,
to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,
    from the prison those who sit in darkness.
⁸ I am the Lord, that is my name;
    my glory I give to no other,
    nor my praise to graven images.
⁹ Behold, the former things have come to pass,
    and new things I now declare;
before they spring forth
    I tell you of them.”

A Hymn of Praise

¹⁰ Sing to the Lord a new song,
    his praise from the end of the earth!
Let the sea roar^[a] and all that fills it,
    the coastlands and their inhabitants.
¹¹ Let the desert and its cities lift up their voice,
    the villages that Kedar inhabits;
let the inhabitants of Sela sing for joy,
    let them shout from the top of the mountains.
¹² Let them give glory to the Lord,
    and declare his praise in the coastlands.
¹³ The Lord goes forth like a mighty man,
    like a man of war he stirs up his fury;
he cries out, he shouts aloud,
    he shows himself mighty against his foes.

¹⁴ For a long time I have held my peace,
    I have kept still and restrained myself;
now I will cry out like a woman in travail,
    I will gasp and pant.
¹⁵ I will lay waste mountains and hills,
    and dry up all their herbage;
I will turn the rivers into islands,
    and dry up the pools.
¹⁶ And I will lead the blind
    in a way that they know not,
in paths that they have not known
    I will guide them.
I will turn the darkness before them into light,
    the rough places into level ground.
These are the things I will do,
    and I will not forsake them.

Genesis 18:20-33

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition

²⁰ Then the Lord said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomor′rah is great and their sin is very grave, ²¹ I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry which has come to me; and if not, I will know.”

²² So the men turned from there, and went toward Sodom; but Abraham still stood before the Lord. ²³ Then Abraham drew near, and said, “Wilt thou indeed destroy the righteous with the wicked? ²⁴ Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city; wilt thou then destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous who are in it? ²⁵ Far be it from thee to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from thee! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” ²⁶ And the Lord said, “If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake.” ²⁷ Abraham answered, “Behold, I have taken upon myself to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes. ²⁸ Suppose five of the fifty righteous are lacking? Wilt thou destroy the whole city for lack of five?” And he said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.” ²⁹ Again he spoke to him, and said, “Suppose forty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of forty I will not do it.” ³⁰ Then he said, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak. Suppose thirty are found there.” He answered, “I will not do it, if I find thirty there.” ³¹ He said, “Behold, I have taken upon myself to speak to the Lord. Suppose twenty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of twenty I will not destroy it.” ³² Then he said, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak again but this once. Suppose ten are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of ten I will not destroy it.” ³³ And the Lord went his way, when he had finished speaking to Abraham; and Abraham returned to his place.

Proverbs 16:17-17

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition

¹⁷ The highway of the upright turns aside from evil;
    he who guards his way preserves his life.
¹⁸ Pride goes before destruction,
    and a haughty spirit before a fall.
¹⁹ It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor
    than to divide the spoil with the proud.
²⁰ He who gives heed to the word will prosper,
    and happy is he who trusts in the Lord.
²¹ The wise of heart is called a man of discernment,
    and pleasant speech increases persuasiveness.
²² Wisdom is a fountain of life to him who has it,
    but folly is the chastisement of fools.
²³ The mind of the wise makes his speech judicious,
    and adds persuasiveness to his lips.
²⁴ Pleasant words are like a honeycomb,
    sweetness to the soul and health to the body.
²⁵ There is a way which seems right to a man,
    but its end is the way to death.^[a]
26 A worker’s appetite works for him;
    his mouth urges him on.
²⁷ A worthless man plots evil,
    and his speech is like a scorching fire.
²⁸ A perverse man spreads strife,
    and a whisperer separates close friends.
²⁹ A man of violence entices his neighbor
    and leads him in a way that is not good.
³⁰ He who winks his eyes plans^[b] perverse things,
    he who compresses his lips brings evil to pass.
³¹ A hoary head is a crown of glory;
    it is gained in a righteous life.
³² He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty,
    and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.
³³ The lot is cast into the lap,
    but the decision is wholly from the Lord.
17 Better is a dry morsel with quiet
than a house full of feasting with strife.
² A slave who deals wisely will rule over a son who acts shamefully,
    and will share the inheritance as one of the brothers.
³ The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold,
    and the Lord tries hearts.
⁴ An evildoer listens to wicked lips;
    and a liar gives heed to a mischievous tongue.
⁵ He who mocks the poor insults his Maker;
    he who is glad at calamity will not go unpunished.
⁶ Grandchildren are the crown of the aged,
    and the glory of sons is their fathers.
⁷ Fine speech is not becoming to a fool;
    still less is false speech to a prince.
⁸ A bribe is like a magic stone in the eyes of him who gives it;
    wherever he turns he prospers.
⁹ He who forgives an offense seeks love,
    but he who repeats a matter alienates a friend.
¹⁰ A rebuke goes deeper into a man of understanding
    than a hundred blows into a fool.
¹¹ An evil man seeks only rebellion,
    and a cruel messenger will be sent against him.
¹² Let a man meet a she-bear robbed of her cubs,
    rather than a fool in his folly.
¹³ If a man returns evil for good,
    evil will not depart from his house.
¹⁴ The beginning of strife is like letting out water;
    so quit before the quarrel breaks out.
¹⁵ He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous
    are both alike an abomination to the Lord.
¹⁶ Why should a fool have a price in his hand to buy wisdom,
    when he has no mind?
¹⁷ A friend loves at all times,
    and a brother is born for adversity.

 

18 Our holy father Cyril, archbishop of Jerusalem. He suffered many injustices from the Arians for the sake of the faith and was frequently driven from his see. He set forth by his preaching and instruction to the faithful the orthodox doctrine, the Scriptures, and the sacred Mysteries. (386)

 

Isaiah 41:4-14

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition

⁴ Who has performed and done this,
    calling the generations from the beginning?
I, the Lord, the first,
    and with the last; I am He.

⁵ The coastlands have seen and are afraid,
    the ends of the earth tremble;
    they have drawn near and come.
⁶ Every one helps his neighbor,
    and says to his brother, “Take courage!”
⁷ The craftsman encourages the goldsmith,
    and he who smooths with the hammer him who strikes the anvil,
saying of the soldering, “It is good”;
    and they fasten it with nails so that it cannot be moved.

⁸ But you, Israel, my servant,
    Jacob, whom I have chosen,
    the offspring of Abraham, my friend;
⁹ you whom I took from the ends of the earth,
    and called from its farthest corners,
saying to you, “You are my servant,
    I have chosen you and not cast you off”;
¹⁰ fear not, for I am with you,
    be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
    I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.

¹¹ Behold, all who are incensed against you
    shall be put to shame and confounded;
those who strive against you
    shall be as nothing and shall perish.
¹² You shall seek those who contend with you,
    but you shall not find them;
those who war against you
    shall be as nothing at all.
¹³ For I, the Lord your God,
    hold your right hand;
it is I who say to you, “Fear not,
    I will help you.”

¹⁴ Fear not, you worm Jacob,
    you men of Israel!
I will help you, says the Lord;
    your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.

Genesis 17:1-9

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition

The Sign of the Covenant

17 When Abram was ninety-nine years old the Lord appeared to Abram, and said to him, “I am God Almighty;^[a] walk before me, and be blameless. ² And I will make my covenant between me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.” ³ Then Abram fell on his face; and God said to him, ⁴ “Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. ⁵ No longer shall your name be Abram,^[b] but your name shall be Abraham;^[c] for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. ⁶ I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come forth from you. ⁷ And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you. ⁸ And I will give to you, and to your descendants after you, the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.”

⁹ And God said to Abraham, “As for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations.

Proverbs 15:20-16:9

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition

²⁰ A wise son makes a glad father,
    but a foolish man despises his mother.
²¹ Folly is a joy to him who has no sense,
    but a man of understanding walks aright.
²² Without counsel plans go wrong,
    but with many advisers they succeed.
²³ To make an apt answer is a joy to a man,
    and a word in season, how good it is!
²⁴ The wise man’s path leads upward to life,
    that he may avoid Sheol beneath.
²⁵ The Lord tears down the house of the proud,
    but maintains the widow’s boundaries.
²⁶ The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord,
    the words of the pure are pleasing to him.^[a]
27 He who is greedy for unjust gain makes trouble for his household,
    but he who hates bribes will live.
²⁸ The mind of the righteous ponders how to answer,
    but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things.
²⁹ The Lord is far from the wicked,
    but he hears the prayer of the righteous.
³⁰ The light of the eyes rejoices the heart,
    and good news refreshes^[b] the bones.
³¹ He whose ear heeds wholesome admonition
    will abide among the wise.
³² He who ignores instruction despises himself,
    but he who heeds admonition gains understanding.
³³ The fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom,
    and humility goes before honor.

16 The plans of the mind belong to man,
    but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.
² All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes,
    but the Lord weighs the spirit.
³ Commit your work to the Lord,
    and your plans will be established.
⁴ The Lord has made everything for its purpose,
    even the wicked for the day of trouble.
⁵ Every one who is arrogant is an abomination to the Lord;
    be assured, he will not go unpunished.
⁶ By loyalty and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for,
    and by the fear of the Lord a man avoids evil.
⁷ When a man’s ways please the Lord,
    he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.
⁸ Better is a little with righteousness
    than great revenues with injustice.
⁹ A man’s mind plans his way,
    but the Lord directs his steps.

 

 

 

17 Our venerable father Alexis, Man of God. Today we remember the man of God celebrated under the name of Alexius, at Rome in the church on the Aventine Hill, who, as tradition relates, left his rich home that he might become poor and beg alms incognito. (411) AKATHIST: I-195 29

 

 

Isaiah 40:18-31

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition

¹⁸ To whom then will you liken God,
    or what likeness compare with him?
¹⁹ The idol! a workman casts it,
    and a goldsmith overlays it with gold,
    and casts for it silver chains.
²⁰ He who is impoverished^[a] chooses for an offering
    wood that will not rot;
he seeks out a skilful craftsman
    to set up an image that will not move.

²¹ Have you not known? Have you not heard?
    Has it not been told you from the beginning?
    Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
²² It is he who sits above the circle of the earth,
    and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers;
who stretches out the heavens like a curtain,
    and spreads them like a tent to dwell in;
²³ who brings princes to nought,
    and makes the rulers of the earth as nothing.

²⁴ Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown,
    scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth,
when he blows upon them, and they wither,
    and the tempest carries them off like stubble.

²⁵ To whom then will you compare me,
    that I should be like him? says the Holy One.
²⁶ Lift up your eyes on high and see:
    who created these?
He who brings out their host by number,
    calling them all by name;
by the greatness of his might,
    and because he is strong in power
    not one is missing.

²⁷ Why do you say, O Jacob,
    and speak, O Israel,
“My way is hid from the Lord,
    and my right is disregarded by my God”?
²⁸ Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
    the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary,
    his understanding is unsearchable.
²⁹ He gives power to the faint,
    and to him who has no might he increases strength.
³⁰ Even youths shall faint and be weary,
    and young men shall fall exhausted;
³¹ but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength,
    they shall mount up with wings like eagles,
they shall run and not be weary,
    they shall walk and not faint.

Genesis 15:1-15

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition

God’s Covenant with Abram

15 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.”^[a] 2 But Abram said, “O Lord God, what wilt thou give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Elie′zer of Damascus?” ³ And Abram said, “Behold, thou hast given me no offspring; and a slave born in my house will be my heir.” ⁴ And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, “This man shall not be your heir; your own son shall be your heir.” ⁵ And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” ⁶ And he believed the Lord; and he reckoned it to him as righteousness.

⁷ And 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 she-goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” ¹⁰ And he brought him all these, cut them in two, and laid each half over against the other; but he did not cut the birds in two. ¹¹ And when birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, Abram drove them away.

¹² As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram; and lo, a dread and great darkness fell upon him. ¹³ Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know of a surety that your descendants will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs, and will be slaves there, and they will be oppressed for four hundred years; ¹⁴ but I will bring judgment on the nation which they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. ¹⁵ As for yourself, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age.

 

 

16 The holy martyrs Sabinus and Papas in Egypt, martyrs, who suffered many things and finally died after being thrown into a river in the persecution of Diocletian. (287)

 

 

Isaiah 37:33-38:6

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition

³³ “Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the king of Assyria: He shall not come into this city, or shoot an arrow there, or come before it with a shield, or cast up a siege mound against it. ³⁴ By the way that he came, by the same he shall return, and he shall not come into this city, says the Lord. ³⁵ For I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David.”

Sennacherib’s Defeat and Death

³⁶ And the angel of the Lord went forth, and slew a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the camp of the Assyrians; and when men arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies. ³⁷ Then Sennach′erib king of Assyria departed, and went home and dwelt at Nin′eveh. ³⁸ And as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, Adram′melech and Share′zer, his sons, slew him with the sword, and escaped into the land of Ar′arat. And E′sar-had′don his son reigned in his stead.

Hezekiah’s Illness

38 In those days Hezeki′ah became sick and was at the point of death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him, and said to him, “Thus says the Lord: Set your house in order; for you shall die, you shall not recover.” ² Then Hezeki′ah turned his face to the wall, and prayed to the Lord, ³ and said, “Remember now, O Lord, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in thy sight.” And Hezeki′ah wept bitterly. ⁴ Then the word of the Lord came to Isaiah: ⁵ “Go and say to Hezeki′ah, Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; behold, I will add fifteen years to your life. ⁶ I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria, and defend this city.

Genesis 13:12-18

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition

¹² Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, while Lot dwelt among the cities of the valley and moved his tent as far as Sodom. ¹³ Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the Lord.

¹⁴ The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “Lift up your eyes, and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward; ¹⁵ for all the land which you see I will give to you and to your descendants for ever. ¹⁶ I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your descendants also can be counted. ¹⁷ Arise, walk through the length and the breadth of the land, for I will give it to you.” ¹⁸ So Abram moved his tent, and came and dwelt by the oaks^[a] of Mamre, which are at Hebron; and there he built an altar to the Lord.

Proverbs 14:27-15:4

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition

²⁷ The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life,
    that one may avoid the snares of death.
²⁸ In a multitude of people is the glory of a king,
    but without people a prince is ruined.
²⁹ He who is slow to anger has great understanding,
    but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly.
³⁰ A tranquil mind gives life to the flesh,
    but passion makes the bones rot.
³¹ He who oppresses a poor man insults his Maker,
    but he who is kind to the needy honors him.
³² The wicked is overthrown through his evil-doing,
    but the righteous finds refuge through his integrity.^[a]
33 Wisdom abides in the mind of a man of understanding,
    but it is not^[b] known in the heart of fools.
³⁴ Righteousness exalts a nation,
    but sin is a reproach to any people.
³⁵ A servant who deals wisely has the king’s favor,
    but his wrath falls on one who acts shamefully.
15 A soft answer turns away wrath,
but a harsh word stirs up anger.
² The tongue of the wise dispenses knowledge,^[c]
    but the mouths of fools pour out folly.
³ The eyes of the Lord are in every place,
    keeping watch on the evil and the good.
⁴ A gentle tongue is a tree of life,
    but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.

 

 

15 The holy martyr Agapius and his companions. The holy martyrs Timolaus, Dionysius, Pausis, Romulus, Alexander, and another Alexander at Caesarea in Palestine, who were led with bound hands to Urbanus the prefect in the persecution of Diocletian the emperor and confessed that they were Christians. A few days later, with their companions Agapius and another Dionysius, they were beheaded and earned the crowns of eternal life. (303)

 

Hebrews 6:13-20

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition

The Certainty of God’s Promise

¹³ For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, ¹⁴ saying, “Surely I will bless you and multiply you.” ¹⁵ And thus Abraham,^[a] having patiently endured, obtained the promise. ¹⁶ Men indeed swear by a greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation. ¹⁷ So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he interposed with an oath, ¹⁸ so that through two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible that God should prove false, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to seize the hope set before us. ¹⁹ We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner shrine behind the curtain, ²⁰ where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest for ever after the order of Melchiz′edek.

Ephesians 5:9-19

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition

⁹ (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), ¹⁰ and try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. ¹¹ Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. ¹² For it is a shame even to speak of the things that they do in secret; ¹³ but when anything is exposed by the light it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. ¹⁴ Therefore it is said,

“Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead,
and Christ shall give you light.”^[a]

¹⁵ Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, ¹⁶ making the most of the time, because the days are evil. ¹⁷ Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. ¹⁸ And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit, ¹⁹ addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart,

Mark 9:17-31

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition

¹⁷ And one of the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a dumb spirit; ¹⁸ and wherever it seizes him, it dashes him down; and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid; and I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able.” ¹⁹ And he answered them, “O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.” ²⁰ And they brought the boy to him; and when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. ²¹ And Jesus^[a] asked his father, “How long has he had this?” And he said, “From childhood. ²² And it has often cast him into the fire and into the water, to destroy him; but if you can do anything, have pity on us and help us.” ²³ And Jesus said to him, “If you can! All things are possible to him who believes.” ²⁴ Immediately the father of the child cried out^[b] and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!” ²⁵ And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You dumb and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him, and never enter him again.” ²⁶ And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse; so that most of them said, “He is dead.” ²⁷ But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. ²⁸ And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” ²⁹ And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer and fasting.”^[c]

Jesus Again Foretells His Death and Resurrection

³⁰ They went on from there and passed through Galilee. And he would not have any one know it; ³¹ for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of man will be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him; and when he is killed, after three days he will rise.”

Matthew 4:25-5:12

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition

²⁵ And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decap′olis and Jerusalem and Judea and from beyond the Jordan.

The Beatitudes

5 Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down his disciples came to him. ² And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:

³ “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

⁴ “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

⁵ “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

⁶ “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

⁷ “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

⁸ “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

⁹ “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

¹⁰ “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

¹¹ “Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. ¹² Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you.

 

14 Our venerable father Benedict. Born in Nursia and educated in Rome, he began a hermit’s life. He gathered many disciples around himself, and then went to Monte Casino. There he founded his celebrated monastery and composed a rule for monks. This rule spread so widely that he has deserved to be called the patriarch of monks in the West. It is said that he died on the twenty-first day of March. (550)

 

 

Hebrews 6:9-12

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition

⁹ Though we speak thus, yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things that belong to salvation. ¹⁰ For God is not so unjust as to overlook your work and the love which you showed for his sake in serving the saints, as you still do. ¹¹ And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness in realizing the full assurance of hope until the end, ¹² so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

1 Corinthians 15:47-57

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition

⁴⁷ The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. ⁴⁸ As was the man of dust, so are those who are of the dust; and as is the man of heaven, so are those who are of heaven. ⁴⁹ Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall^[a] also bear the image of the man of heaven. ⁵⁰ I tell you this, brethren: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.

⁵¹ Lo! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, ⁵² in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. ⁵³ For this perishable nature must put on the imperishable, and this mortal nature must put on immortality. ⁵⁴ When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
⁵⁵ “O death, where is thy victory?
O death, where is thy sting?”

⁵⁶ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. ⁵⁷ But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Mark 7:31-37

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition

Jesus Cures a Deaf Man

³¹ Then he returned from the region of Tyre, and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, through the region of the Decap′olis. ³² And they brought to him a man who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech; and they besought him to lay his hand upon him. ³³ And taking him aside from the multitude privately, he put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue; ³⁴ and looking up to heaven, he sighed, and said to him, “Eph′phatha,” that is, “Be opened.” ³⁵ And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. ³⁶ And he charged them to tell no one; but the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. ³⁷ And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well; he even makes the deaf hear and the dumb speak.”

John 5:24-30

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition

²⁴ Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears my word and believes him who sent me, has eternal life; he does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.

²⁵ “Truly, truly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. ²⁶ For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself, ²⁷ and has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of man. ²⁸ Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice ²⁹ and come forth, those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgment.

Witnesses to Jesus

³⁰ “I can do nothing on my own authority; as I hear, I judge; and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.

 

13 The translation of the relics of our holy father Nicephor, patriarch of Constantinople. Nicephor died in exile on the island of Prochonis in the year 827. After the death of the last iconoclast emperor, the relics of the holy father were brought back to Constantinople, first to the church of Hagia Sophia and then finally to the Church of the Holy Apostles in the year 846.

 

Isaiah 29:13-23

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition

¹³ And the Lord said:
“Because this people draw near with their mouth
    and honor me with their lips,
    while their hearts are far from me,
and their fear of me is a commandment of men learned by rote;
¹⁴ therefore, behold, I will again
    do marvelous things with this people,
    wonderful and marvelous;
and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish,
    and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hid.”

¹⁵ Woe to those who hide deep from the Lord their counsel,
    whose deeds are in the dark,
    and who say, “Who sees us? Who knows us?”
¹⁶ You turn things upside down!
    Shall the potter be regarded as the clay;
that the thing made should say of its maker,
    “He did not make me”;
or the thing formed say of him who formed it,
    “He has no understanding”?

Hope for the Future

¹⁷ Is it not yet a very little while
    until Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field,
    and the fruitful field shall be regarded as a forest?
¹⁸ In that day the deaf shall hear
    the words of a book,
and out of their gloom and darkness
    the eyes of the blind shall see.
¹⁹ The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the Lord,
    and the poor among men shall exult in the Holy One of Israel.
²⁰ For the ruthless shall come to nought and the scoffer cease,
    and all who watch to do evil shall be cut off,
²¹ who by a word make a man out to be an offender,
    and lay a snare for him who reproves in the gate,
    and with an empty plea turn aside him who is in the right.

²² Therefore thus says the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob:

“Jacob shall no more be ashamed,
    no more shall his face grow pale.
²³ For when he sees his children,
    the work of my hands, in his midst,
    they will sanctify my name;
they will sanctify the Holy One of Jacob,
    and will stand in awe of the God of Israel.

Genesis 12:1-7

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition

The Call of Abram

12 ^[a]Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. ² And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. ³ I will bless those who bless you, and him who curses you I will curse; and by you all the families of the earth shall bless themselves.”^[b]

⁴ So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. ⁵ And Abram took Sar′ai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions which they had gathered, and the persons that they had gotten in Haran; and they set forth to go to the land of Canaan. When they had come to the land of Canaan, ⁶ Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak^[c] of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. ⁷ Then the Lord appeared to Abram, and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him.

Proverbs 14:15-26

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition

¹⁵ The simple believes everything,
    but the prudent looks where he is going.
¹⁶ A wise man is cautious and turns away from evil,
    but a fool throws off restraint and is careless.
¹⁷ A man of quick temper acts foolishly,
    but a man of discretion is patient.^[a]
18 The simple acquire folly,
    but the prudent are crowned with knowledge.
¹⁹ The evil bow down before the good,
    the wicked at the gates of the righteous.
²⁰ The poor is disliked even by his neighbor,
    but the rich has many friends.
²¹ He who despises his neighbor is a sinner,
    but happy is he who is kind to the poor.
²² Do they not err that devise evil?
    Those who devise good meet loyalty and faithfulness.
²³ In all toil there is profit,
    but mere talk tends only to want.
²⁴ The crown of the wise is their wisdom,^[b]
    but folly is the garland^[c] of fools.
²⁵ A truthful witness saves lives,
    but one who utters lies is a betrayer.
²⁶ In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence,
    and his children will have a refuge.

 

 

12 Our venerable father and confessor Theophane of the Sygrian Mountain in Bithynia in the monastery of Ager Magnus. He was called the Chronographer. Having been a very wealthy man, he became a poor monk. He was held in prison for two years by the emperor Leo the Armenian on account of his defense of the cult of holy icons. From there he was deported to Samothrace, where, consumed by his tribulations, he yielded up his spirit. (817)

Our holy father Gregory, pope of Rome. After having entered the monastic life, he performed the duty of ambassador to Constantinople. Then, on the third of September, he was chosen for the Roman See. He dealt well with earthly matters and, as a servant of the servants of God, he attended to holy things. He showed that he was a true pastor in directing affairs, in fully assisting the needy, in fostering the monastic life, and everywhere in strengthening or extending the faith. He also wrote excellently on many things concerning moral and pastoral matters. (604)

 

Isaiah 28:14-22

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition

¹⁴ Therefore hear the word of the Lord, you scoffers,
    who rule this people in Jerusalem!
¹⁵ Because you have said, “We have made a covenant with death,
    and with Sheol we have an agreement;
when the overwhelming scourge passes through
    it will not come to us;
for we have made lies our refuge,
    and in falsehood we have taken shelter”;
¹⁶ therefore thus says the Lord God,
“Behold, I am laying in Zion for a foundation
    a stone, a tested stone,
a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation:
    ‘He who believes will not be in haste.’
¹⁷ And I will make justice the line,
    and righteousness the plummet;
and hail will sweep away the refuge of lies,
    and waters will overwhelm the shelter.”
¹⁸ Then your covenant with death will be annulled,
    and your agreement with Sheol will not stand;
when the overwhelming scourge passes through
    you will be beaten down by it.
¹⁹ As often as it passes through it will take you;
    for morning by morning it will pass through,
    by day and by night;
and it will be sheer terror to understand the message.
²⁰ For the bed is too short to stretch oneself on it,
    and the covering too narrow to wrap oneself in it.
²¹ For the Lord will rise up as on Mount Pera′zim,
    he will be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon;
to do his deed—strange is his deed!
    and to work his work—alien is his work!
²² Now therefore do not scoff,
    lest your bonds be made strong;
for I have heard a decree of destruction
    from the Lord God of hosts upon the whole land.

Genesis 10:32-11:9

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition

³² These are the families of the sons of Noah, according to their genealogies, in their nations; and from these the nations spread abroad on the earth after the flood.

The Tower of Babel

11 ^[a]Now the whole earth had one language and few words. ² And as men migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. ³ And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. ⁴ Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.” ⁵ And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the sons of men had built. ⁶ And the Lord said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language; and this is only the beginning of what they will do; and nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. ⁷ Come, let us go down, and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.” ⁸ So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. ⁹ Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused^[b] the language of all the earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.

Proverbs 13:19-14:6

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition

¹⁹ A desire fulfilled is sweet to the soul;
    but to turn away from evil is an abomination to fools.
²⁰ He who walks with wise men becomes wise,
    but the companion of fools will suffer harm.
²¹ Misfortune pursues sinners,
    but prosperity rewards the righteous.
²² A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children,
    but the sinner’s wealth is laid up for the righteous.
²³ The fallow ground of the poor yields much food,
    but it is swept away through injustice.
²⁴ He who spares the rod hates his son,
    but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.
²⁵ The righteous has enough to satisfy his appetite,
    but the belly of the wicked suffers want.
14 Wisdom^[a] builds her house,
but folly with her own hands tears it down.
² He who walks in uprightness fears the Lord,
    but he who is devious in his ways despises him.
³ The talk of a fool is a rod for his back,^[b]
    but the lips of the wise will preserve them.
⁴ Where there are no oxen, there is no^[c] grain;
    but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox.
⁵ A faithful witness does not lie,
    but a false witness breathes out lies.
⁶ A scoffer seeks wisdom in vain,
    but knowledge is easy for a man of understanding.

 

11 Our holy father Sophronius, patriarch of Jerusalem. He was elected patriarch of the see after Modestus. When the Holy City fell into the hands of the Saracens, he defended with vigor the faith and the safety of the people. (644)