Over the last two weeks we have been blessed to read a number of Scriptures that speak of the Spirit's work in our lives. In the last several days, we've celebrated being God's children. Now the two concepts come together in one glorious declaration: we are God's "sons," his children with full inheritance rights. We have not only been given grace, but we live as his children and enjoy the blessings of his eternal family.
Day 9 of the Blessed Coptic Month of Baramhat, may God make it always received, year after year, with reassurance and tranquility, while our sins after forgiven by the tender mercies of our God my fathers and brothers.
Amen.
The Ninth Day of the Blessed Month of Baramhat
Departure of St.Konan
On this day the fighter St. Konan departed. This Saint was from a city called Antanyos in the country of Syria during the days when the Apostles were preaching the Name of the Lord Christ to Whome is the glory. His father's name was Nestor, his mother's name was Theodora, and they worshipped the stars. When this Saint grew and became a man, the virtues of purity, chastity, piety, and mercy were manifested in his life. His parents wished to wed him but he refused. They forced him to get married, but he refused to have any relation with his wife and both remained virgins. Often he prayed saying: " O God lead me to Your true Knowledge." Michael, the angel of the Lord appeared to him and ordered him to go to one of the apostles. Konan went to him, learned from him all the Laws of the Christian Faith, was baptized and received the Divine Mysteries. He went on listening to the teachings of the Apostles and he increased in purity, chastity, ascetism, and praying. God granted him the gift of performing miracles and the authority over the devil, and he attracted his parents to the faith in the Lord Christ. Once, one of the unbelievers went to one of the temples to offer a sacrifice to satan. St. Konan knew this man, and he cried out against satan, rebuked him and commanded him to confess before the people telling them whom he was. The devil confessed that he was satan and was not a god.
All the people were present cried out saying: "One is the God of St. Konan," and they believed and were baptized. When the Governor, who had been appointed by Claudius Caesar, heard about this Saint, he had him brought before him, and the saint confessed his faith in the Lord Christ. The Governor commanded him to be bound and beaten very severely. When the people of the city heard that, and because of their love to the Saint, they wanted to kill the Governor but he fled from them. They released the Saint from his fetters, washed the blood off him, and carried him to their town. He lived for many years then departed to the Lord. The believers made his house a church and laid his body in it, from which many signs and wonders were manifested.
May His prayers be with us all. Amen.
Martyrdom of the Saints Abrianus, Amrata his wife, Eusebius, Armanius, and the Forty Martyrs
On this day also was the martyrdom of Sts. Abrianus, Amrata his wife, Eusebius, Armanius, and the Forty Martyrs after they had been tortured severely in the Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
May Their prayers be with us and Glory be to our God forever. Amen.
Matins
Deuteronomy 9 : 7 - end Deuteronomy 10 : 1 - 11 1 Samuel 23 : 26 - end 1 Samuel 24 : 1 - 22 Isaiah 13 : 2 - 13 Job 15 : 1 - 35 Sirach 2 : 1 - end Sirach 3 : 1 - 4
Deuteronomy 9 : 7 - end
Chapter 9
| 7 | "Remember! Do not forget how you provoked the LORD your God to wrath in the wilderness. From the day that you departed from the land of Egypt until you came to this place, you have been rebellious against the LORD. |
| 8 | Also in Horeb you provoked the LORD to wrath, so that the LORD was angry enough with you to have destroyed you. |
| 9 | When I went up into the mountain to receive the tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant which the LORD made with you, then I stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights. I neither ate bread nor drank water. |
| 10 | Then the LORD delivered to me two tablets of stone written with the finger of God, and on them were all the words which the LORD had spoken to you on the mountain from the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly. |
| 11 | And it came to pass, at the end of forty days and forty nights, that the LORD gave me the two tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant. |
| 12 | "Then the LORD said to me, "Arise, go down quickly from here, for your people whom you brought out of Egypt have acted corruptly; they have quickly turned aside from the way which I commanded them; they have made themselves a molded image.' |
| 13 | "Furthermore the LORD spoke to me, saying, "I have seen this people, and indeed they are a stiff-necked people. |
| 14 | Let Me alone, that I may destroy them and blot out their name from under heaven; and I will make of you a nation mightier and greater than they.' |
| 15 | "So I turned and came down from the mountain, and the mountain burned with fire; and the two tablets of the covenant were in my two hands. |
| 16 | And I looked, and behold, you had sinned against the LORD your God--had made for yourselves a molded calf! You had turned aside quickly from the way which the LORD had commanded you. |
| 17 | Then I took the two tablets and threw them out of my two hands and broke them before your eyes. |
| 18 | And I fell down before the LORD, as at the first, forty days and forty nights; I neither ate bread nor drank water, because of all your sin which you committed in doing wickedly in the sight of the LORD, to provoke Him to anger. |
| 19 | For I was afraid of the anger and hot displeasure with which the LORD was angry with you, to destroy you. But the LORD listened to me at that time also. |
| 20 | And the LORD was very angry with Aaron and would have destroyed him; so I prayed for Aaron also at the same time. |
| 21 | Then I took your sin, the calf which you had made, and burned it with fire and crushed it and ground it very small, until it was as fine as dust; and I threw its dust into the brook that descended from the mountain. |
| 22 | "Also at Taberah and Massah and Kibroth Hattaavah you provoked the LORD to wrath. |
| 23 | Likewise, when the LORD sent you from Kadesh Barnea, saying, "Go up and possess the land which I have given you,' then you rebelled against the commandment of the LORD your God, and you did not believe Him nor obey His voice. |
| 24 | You have been rebellious against the LORD from the day that I knew you. |
| 25 | "Thus I prostrated myself before the LORD; forty days and forty nights I kept prostrating myself, because the LORD had said He would destroy you. |
| 26 | Therefore I prayed to the LORD, and said: "O Lord GOD, do not destroy Your people and Your inheritance whom You have redeemed through Your greatness, whom You have brought out of Egypt with a mighty hand. |
| 27 | Remember Your servants, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; do not look on the stubbornness of this people, or on their wickedness or their sin, |
| 28 | lest the land from which You brought us should say, "Because the LORD was not able to bring them to the land which He promised them, and because He hated them, He has brought them out to kill them in the wilderness." |
| 29 | Yet they are Your people and Your inheritance, whom You brought out by Your mighty power and by Your outstretched arm.' |
Deuteronomy 10 : 1 - 11
Chapter 10
| 1 | "At that time the LORD said to me, "Hew for yourself two tablets of stone like the first, and come up to Me on the mountain and make yourself an ark of wood. |
| 2 | And I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke; and you shall put them in the ark.' |
| 3 | "So I made an ark of acacia wood, hewed two tablets of stone like the first, and went up the mountain, having the two tablets in my hand. |
| 4 | And He wrote on the tablets according to the first writing, the Ten Commandments, which the LORD had spoken to you in the mountain from the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly; and the LORD gave them to me. |
| 5 | Then I turned and came down from the mountain, and put the tablets in the ark which I had made; and there they are, just as the LORD commanded me." |
| 6 | (Now the children of Israel journeyed from the wells of Bene Jaakan to Moserah, where Aaron died, and where he was buried; and Eleazar his son ministered as priest in his stead. |
| 7 | From there they journeyed to Gudgodah, and from Gudgodah to Jotbathah, a land of rivers of water. |
| 8 | At that time the LORD separated the tribe of Levi to bear the ark of the covenant of the LORD, to stand before the LORD to minister to Him and to bless in His name, to this day. |
| 9 | Therefore Levi has no portion nor inheritance with his brethren; the LORD is his inheritance, just as the LORD your God promised him.) |
| 10 | "As at the first time, I stayed in the mountain forty days and forty nights; the LORD also heard me at that time, and the LORD chose not to destroy you. |
| 11 | Then the LORD said to me, "Arise, begin your journey before the people, that they may go in and possess the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.' |
1 Samuel 23 : 26 - end
Chapter 23
| 26 | Then Saul went on one side of the mountain, and David and his men on the other side of the mountain. So David made haste to get away from Saul, for Saul and his men were encircling David and his men to take them. |
| 27 | But a messenger came to Saul, saying, "Hurry and come, for the Philistines have invaded the land!" |
| 28 | Therefore Saul returned from pursuing David, and went against the Philistines; so they called that place the Rock of Escape. |
| 29 | Then David went up from there and dwelt in strongholds at En Gedi. |
1 Samuel 24 : 1 - 22
Chapter 24
| 1 | Now it happened, when Saul had returned from following the Philistines, that it was told him, saying, "Take note! David is in the Wilderness of En Gedi." |
| 2 | Then Saul took three thousand chosen men from all Israel, and went to seek David and his men on the Rocks of the Wild Goats. |
| 3 | So he came to the sheepfolds by the road, where there was a cave; and Saul went in to attend to his needs. (David and his men were staying in the recesses of the cave.) |
| 4 | Then the men of David said to him, "This is the day of which the LORD said to you, "Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hand, that you may do to him as it seems good to you."' And David arose and secretly cut off a corner of Saul's robe. |
| 5 | Now it happened afterward that David's heart troubled him because he had cut Saul's robe. |
| 6 | And he said to his men, "The LORD forbid that I should do this thing to my master, the LORD's anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the LORD." |
| 7 | So David restrained his servants with these words, and did not allow them to rise against Saul. And Saul got up from the cave and went on his way. |
| 8 | David also arose afterward, went out of the cave, and called out to Saul, saying, "My lord the king!" And when Saul looked behind him, David stooped with his face to the earth, and bowed down. |
| 9 | And David said to Saul: "Why do you listen to the words of men who say, "Indeed David seeks your harm'? |
| 10 | Look, this day your eyes have seen that the LORD delivered you today into my hand in the cave, and someone urged me to kill you. But my eye spared you, and I said, "I will not stretch out my hand against my lord, for he is the LORD's anointed.' |
| 11 | Moreover, my father, see! Yes, see the corner of your robe in my hand! For in that I cut off the corner of your robe, and did not kill you, know and see that there is neither evil nor rebellion in my hand, and I have not sinned against you. Yet you hunt my life to take it. |
| 12 | Let the LORD judge between you and me, and let the LORD avenge me on you. But my hand shall not be against you. |
| 13 | As the proverb of the ancients says, "Wickedness proceeds from the wicked.' But my hand shall not be against you. |
| 14 | After whom has the king of Israel come out? Whom do you pursue? A dead dog? A flea? |
| 15 | Therefore let the LORD be judge, and judge between you and me, and see and plead my case, and deliver me out of your hand." |
| 16 | So it was, when David had finished speaking these words to Saul, that Saul said, "Is this your voice, my son David?" And Saul lifted up his voice and wept. |
| 17 | Then he said to David: "You are more righteous than I; for you have rewarded me with good, whereas I have rewarded you with evil. |
| 18 | And you have shown this day how you have dealt well with me; for when the LORD delivered me into your hand, you did not kill me. |
| 19 | For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him get away safely? Therefore may the LORD reward you with good for what you have done to me this day. |
| 20 | And now I know indeed that you shall surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in your hand. |
| 21 | Therefore swear now to me by the LORD that you will not cut off my descendants after me, and that you will not destroy my name from my father's house." |
| 22 | So David swore to Saul. And Saul went home, but David and his men went up to the stronghold. |
Isaiah 13 : 2 - 13
Chapter 13
| 2 | "Lift up a banner on the high mountain, Raise your voice to them; Wave your hand, that they may enter the gates of the nobles. |
| 3 | I have commanded My sanctified ones; I have also called My mighty ones for My anger--Those who rejoice in My exaltation." |
| 4 | The noise of a multitude in the mountains, Like that of many people! A tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered together! The LORD of hosts musters The army for battle. |
| 5 | They come from a far country, From the end of heaven--The LORD and His weapons of indignation, To destroy the whole land. |
| 6 | Wail, for the day of the LORD is at hand! It will come as destruction from the Almighty. |
| 7 | Therefore all hands will be limp, Every man's heart will melt, |
| 8 | And they will be afraid. Pangs and sorrows will take hold of them; They will be in pain as a woman in childbirth; They will be amazed at one another; Their faces will be like flames. |
| 9 | Behold, the day of the LORD comes, Cruel, with both wrath and fierce anger, To lay the land desolate; And He will destroy its sinners from it. |
| 10 | For the stars of heaven and their constellations Will not give their light; The sun will be darkened in its going forth, And the moon will not cause its light to shine. |
| 11 | "I will punish the world for its evil, And the wicked for their iniquity; I will halt the arrogance of the proud, And will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. |
| 12 | I will make a mortal more rare than fine gold, A man more than the golden wedge of Ophir. |
| 13 | Therefore I will shake the heavens, And the earth will move out of her place, In the wrath of the LORD of hosts And in the day of His fierce anger. |
Job 15 : 1 - 35
Chapter 15
| 1 | Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said: |
| 2 | "Should a wise man answer with empty knowledge, And fill himself with the east wind? |
| 3 | Should he reason with unprofitable talk, Or by speeches with which he can do no good? |
| 4 | Yes, you cast off fear, And restrain prayer before God. |
| 5 | For your iniquity teaches your mouth, And you choose the tongue of the crafty. |
| 6 | Your own mouth condemns you, and not I; Yes, your own lips testify against you. |
| 7 | "Are you the first man who was born? Or were you made before the hills? |
| 8 | Have you heard the counsel of God? Do you limit wisdom to yourself? |
| 9 | What do you know that we do not know? What do you understand that is not in us? |
| 10 | Both the gray-haired and the aged are among us, Much older than your father. |
| 11 | Are the consolations of God too small for you, And the word spoken gently with you? |
| 12 | Why does your heart carry you away, And what do your eyes wink at, |
| 13 | That you turn your spirit against God, And let such words go out of your mouth? |
| 14 | "What is man, that he could be pure? And he who is born of a woman, that he could be righteous? |
| 15 | If God puts no trust in His saints, And the heavens are not pure in His sight, |
| 16 | How much less man, who is abominable and filthy, Who drinks iniquity like water! |
| 17 | "I will tell you, hear me; What I have seen I will declare, |
| 18 | What wise men have told, Not hiding anything received from their fathers, |
| 19 | To whom alone the land was given, And no alien passed among them: |
| 20 | The wicked man writhes with pain all his days, And the number of years is hidden from the oppressor. |
| 21 | Dreadful sounds are in his ears; In prosperity the destroyer comes upon him. |
| 22 | He does not believe that he will return from darkness, For a sword is waiting for him. |
| 23 | He wanders about for bread, saying, "Where is it?' He knows that a day of darkness is ready at his hand. |
| 24 | Trouble and anguish make him afraid; They overpower him, like a king ready for battle. |
| 25 | For he stretches out his hand against God, And acts defiantly against the Almighty, |
| 26 | Running stubbornly against Him With his strong, embossed shield. |
| 27 | "Though he has covered his face with his fatness, And made his waist heavy with fat, |
| 28 | He dwells in desolate cities, In houses which no one inhabits, Which are destined to become ruins. |
| 29 | He will not be rich, Nor will his wealth continue, Nor will his possessions overspread the earth. |
| 30 | He will not depart from darkness; The flame will dry out his branches, And by the breath of His mouth he will go away. |
| 31 | Let him not trust in futile things, deceiving himself, For futility will be his reward. |
| 32 | It will be accomplished before his time, And his branch will not be green. |
| 33 | He will shake off his unripe grape like a vine, And cast off his blossom like an olive tree. |
| 34 | For the company of hypocrites will be barren, And fire will consume the tents of bribery. |
| 35 | They conceive trouble and bring forth futility; Their womb prepares deceit." |
Sirach 2 : 1 - end
Chapter 2
| 1 | Son, when thou comest to the service of God, stand in justice and in fear, and prepare thy soul for temptation. |
| 2 | Humble thy heart, and endure: incline thy ear, and receive the words of understanding: and make not haste in the time of clouds. |
| 3 | Wait on God with patience: join thyself to God, and endure, that thy life may be increased in the latter end. |
| 4 | Take all that shall be brought upon thee: and in thy sorrow endure, and in thy humiliation keep patience. |
| 5 | For gold and silver are tried in the fire, but acceptable men in the furnace of humiliation. |
| 6 | Believe God, and he will recover thee: and direct thy way, and trust in him. Keep his fear, and grow old therein. |
| 7 | Ye that fear the Lord, wait for his mercy: and go not aside from him, lest ye fall. |
| 8 | Ye that fear the Lord, believe him: and your reward shall not be made void. |
| 9 | Ye that fear the Lord, hope in him: and mercy shall come to you for your delight. |
| 10 | Ye that fear the Lord, love him, and your hearts shall be enlightened. |
| 11 | My children behold the generations of men: and know ye that no one hath hoped in the Lord, and hath been confounded. |
| 12 | For who hath continued in his commandment, and hath been forsaken? or who hath called upon him, and he despised him? |
| 13 | For God is compassionate and merciful, and will forgive sins in the day of tribulation: and he is a protector to all that seek him in truth. |
| 14 | Woe to them that are of a double heart and to wicked lips, and to the hands that do evil, and to the sinner that goeth on the earth two ways. |
| 15 | Woe to them that are fainthearted, who believe not God: and therefore they shall not be protected by him. |
| 16 | Woe to them that have lost patience, and that have forsaken the right ways, and have gone aside into crooked ways. |
| 17 | And what will they do, when the Lord shall begin to examine? |
| 18 | They that fear the Lord, will not be incredulous to his word: and they that love him, will keep his way. |
| 19 | They that fear the Lord, will seek after the things that are well pleasing to him: and they that love him, shall be filled with his law. |
| 20 | They that fear the Lord, will prepare their hearts, and in his sight will sanctify their souls. |
| 21 | They that fear the Lord, keep his Commandments, and will have patience even until his visitation, |
| 22 | Saying: If we do not penance, we shall fall into the hands of the Lord, and not into the hands of men. |
| 23 | For according to his greatness, so also is his mercy with him. |
Sirach 3 : 1 - 4
Chapter 3
| 1 | The sons of wisdom are the church of the just: and their generation, obedience and love. |
| 2 | Children, hear the judgment of your father, and so do that you may be saved. |
| 3 | For God hath made the father honourable to the children: and seeking the judgment of the mothers, hath confirmed it upon the children. |
| 4 | He that loveth God, shall obtain pardon for his sine by prayer, and shall refrain himself from them, and shall be heard in the prayer of days. |
Matins
Matins Psalm
From the Psalms of our teacher David the prophet.
May his blessings be with us all.
Psalms 16 : 10 - 11
Chapter 16
| 10 | For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption. |
| 11 | You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore. |
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Our Lord God, Savior, and King of us all, Jesus Christ, the Living Son of God to whom be glory forever.
Amen.
Matins Gospel
Stand in the fear of God and listen to the Holy Gospel.
A reading from the Gospel according to our teacher Saint Luke the Evangelist.
May His Blessings be with us all.
Luke 20 : 27 - 38
Chapter 20
| 27 | Then some of the Sadducees, who deny that there is a resurrection, came to Him and asked Him, |
| 28 | saying: "Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man's brother dies, having a wife, and he dies without children, his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. |
| 29 | Now there were seven brothers. And the first took a wife, and died without children. |
| 30 | And the second took her as wife, and he died childless. |
| 31 | Then the third took her, and in like manner the seven also; and they left no children, and died. |
| 32 | Last of all the woman died also. |
| 33 | Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife does she become? For all seven had her as wife." |
| 34 | Jesus answered and said to them, "The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage. |
| 35 | But those who are counted worthy to attain that age, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; |
| 36 | nor can they die anymore, for they are equal to the angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection. |
| 37 | But even Moses showed in the burning bush passage that the dead are raised, when he called the Lord "the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.' |
| 38 | For He is not the God of the dead but of the living, for all live to Him." |
And Glory be to God forever.
Liturgy Gospel
Paulines Epistle
Paul, the servant of our Lord Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, appointed to the Gospel of God.
A reading from the Epistle of our teacher Paul to the Hebrews .
May his blessings be upon us.
Amen.
Hebrews 11 : 1 - 8
Chapter 11
| 1 | Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. |
| 2 | For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. |
| 3 | By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible. |
| 4 | By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks. |
| 5 | By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, "and was not found, because God had taken him"; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God. |
| 6 | But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. |
| 7 | By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith. |
| 8 | By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. |
The grace of God the Father be with you all.
Amen.
Catholic Epistle
A Reading from Epistle of St. Jude .
May his blessing be upon us.
Amen.
Jude 1 : 17 - 25
Chapter 1
| 17 | But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ: |
| 18 | how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts. |
| 19 | These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit. |
| 20 | But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, |
| 21 | keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. |
| 22 | And on some have compassion, making a distinction; |
| 23 | but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh. |
| 24 | Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, And to present you faultless Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, |
| 25 | To God our Savior, Who alone is wise, Be glory and majesty, Dominion and power, Both now and forever. Amen. |
Do not love the world or the things in the world.
The world passes away, and its desires; but he who does the will of God abides forever.
Amen.
Acts of the Apostles
The Acts of our fathers the apostles, may their blessings be with us.
Acts 23 : 6 - 11
Chapter 23
| 6 | But when Paul perceived that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, "Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee; concerning the hope and resurrection of the dead I am being judged!" |
| 7 | And when he had said this, a dissension arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees; and the assembly was divided. |
| 8 | For Sadducees say that there is no resurrection--and no angel or spirit; but the Pharisees confess both. |
| 9 | Then there arose a loud outcry. And the scribes of the Pharisees' party arose and protested, saying, "We find no evil in this man; but if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him, let us not fight against God." |
| 10 | Now when there arose a great dissension, the commander, fearing lest Paul might be pulled to pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him by force from among them, and bring him into the barracks. |
| 11 | But the following night the Lord stood by him and said, "Be of good cheer, Paul; for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome." |
The word of the Lord shall grow, multiply, be mighty, and be confirmed, in the holy Church of God.
Amen.
Divine Psalm
Stand in the fear of God and listen to the Holy Gospel.
A reading from the Gospel according to our teacher Saint John the Evangelist.
May His Blessings be with us all. Amen.
From the Psalms of our teacher David the prophet, and the Good King.
May his blessings be with us all.
Psalms 16 : 1 - 2
Chapter 16
| 1 | Preserve me, O God, for in You I put my trust. |
| 2 | O my soul, you have said to the LORD, "You are my Lord, My goodness is nothing apart from You." |
Hallelujah.
Divine Gospel
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Our Lord God, Savior, and King of us all, Jesus Christ, the Living Son of God to whom be glory forever.
Amen.
Luke 11 : 14 - 26
Chapter 11
| 14 | And He was casting out a demon, and it was mute. So it was, when the demon had gone out, that the mute spoke; and the multitudes marveled. |
| 15 | But some of them said, "He casts out demons by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons." |
| 16 | Others, testing Him, sought from Him a sign from heaven. |
| 17 | But He, knowing their thoughts, said to them: "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falls. |
| 18 | If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? Because you say I cast out demons by Beelzebub. |
| 19 | And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. |
| 20 | But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. |
| 21 | When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace. |
| 22 | But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils. |
| 23 | He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters. |
| 24 | "When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, "I will return to my house from which I came.' |
| 25 | And when he comes, he finds it swept and put in order. |
| 26 | Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first." |
And Glory be to God forever.
Sr. Joan Brown is a longtime friend and Franciscan, serving as Executive Director of New Mexico Interfaith Power and Light, a nonprofit that works for climate justice. She writes about three foundational principles needed for harmony and wholeness:
All of us who live, breathe, and walk upon this amazing, holy Mother Earth are called to understand the cosmic principles inherent in the interdependent energy dynamic that throbs through every element of life. Nothing exists without these three interdependent energies that emerged from the first flaring forth over 13.8 billion years ago: differentiation or diversity; subjectivity, interiority, or essence; and communion or community and interconnectedness. These energies offer vital lessons for the critical times in which we live, where diversity causes conflict, living is often at a superficial level, and individualism runs rampant. [1]
First, every one of us—every human being, every drop of water, every molecule, every bird, each grain of sand, and each mountain—is distinct or different. Each is a distinct manifestation of Divine Love energy. The universe thrives upon, and cannot exist without, diversity. The very differences that we shun, avoid, or even destroy are necessary for life to continue in a multitude of magnificent forms. . . .
The second cosmic principle, interiority or essence, is more easily understood by people of all religious traditions. Every created thing is holy. Every blade of grass, grasshopper, child, and element is holy. Ecological degradation, racism, discrimination, hate, and disinterest in working for justice and love each speak to the lack of honoring the interiority of that which stands before me. . . . In order to help people adjust and cope with climate change, which is the most critical concern of our day, I believe we must get in touch with the sacred essence of everything that exists.
The third cosmic principle, communion or community, is intimately linked to differentiation/diversity and interiority/essence. A quote attributed to Thich Nhat Hanh states it well: “We are here to awaken from the illusion of our separateness.” [2] The gravitational pull of love draws everyone and everything into relationship and communion. . . .
Perhaps, as Beatrice Bruteau wrote, “If we cannot love our neighbor as ourself, it is because we do not perceive our neighbor as ourself.” [3] If we are unable to see that we are in communion with another, we will not realize that what we do to ourselves, we do to the other and to the earth. Likewise, we do not realize that, ultimately, our lack of understanding turns back toward us in violence, whether that is fear of other races and diversity, or destruction of Earth because we see the natural world as an object rather than a subject with interiority. . . .
We are called to be larger than who we can imagine being in this moment. The cosmic principles are a new way of understanding, seeing, and acting in a world that seems to be torn apart by a misunderstanding of the beauty of diversity, the holiness of essence, and the evolutionary pull of communion.