Vespers
Vespers Psalm
From the Psalms of our teacher David the prophet.
May his blessings be with us all.
Psalms 19 : 2,4
Chapter 19
| 2 | Day unto day utters speech, And night unto night reveals knowledge. |
| 4 | Their line has gone out through all the earth, And their words to the end of the world. In them He has set a tabernacle for the sun, |
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.
Vespers Gospel
Stand in the fear of God and listen to the Holy Gospel.
A reading from the Gospel according to our teacher Saint Mark the Evangelist.
May His Blessings be with us all.
Mark 12 : 35 - 40
Chapter 12
| 35 | Then Jesus answered and said, while He taught in the temple, "How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the Son of David? |
| 36 | For David himself said by the Holy Spirit: "The LORD said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool."' |
| 37 | Therefore David himself calls Him "Lord'; how is He then his Son?" And the common people heard Him gladly. |
| 38 | Then He said to them in His teaching, "Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, love greetings in the marketplaces, |
| 39 | the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, |
| 40 | who devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation." |
And Glory be to God forever.
Matins
Matins Psalm
From the Psalms of our teacher David the prophet.
May his blessings be with us all.
Psalms 118 : 24 - 25
Chapter 118
| 24 | This is the day the LORD has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it. |
| 25 | Save now, I pray, O LORD; O LORD, I pray, send now prosperity. |
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 Mark the Evangelist.
May His Blessings be with us all.
Mark 12 : 28 - 34
Chapter 12
| 28 | Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, "Which is the first commandment of all?" |
| 29 | Jesus answered him, "The first of all the commandments is: "Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one. |
| 30 | And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first commandment. |
| 31 | And the second, like it, is this: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these." |
| 32 | So the scribe said to Him, "Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He. |
| 33 | And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices." |
| 34 | Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." But after that no one dared question 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 Romans .
May his blessings be upon us.
Amen.
Romans 5 : 20 - 6 : 4
Chapter 5
| 20 | Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, |
| 21 | so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. |
Chapter 6
| 1 | What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? |
| 2 | Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? |
| 3 | Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? |
| 4 | Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. |
The grace of God the Father be with you all.
Amen.
Catholic Epistle
A Reading from Epistle 1 of St. John .
May his blessing be upon us.
Amen.
1 John 4 : 15 - 19
Chapter 4
| 15 | Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. |
| 16 | And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. |
| 17 | Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. |
| 18 | There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. |
| 19 | We love Him because He first loved us. |
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 7 : 44 - 50
Chapter 7
| 44 | "Our fathers had the tabernacle of witness in the wilderness, as He appointed, instructing Moses to make it according to the pattern that he had seen, |
| 45 | which our fathers, having received it in turn, also brought with Joshua into the land possessed by the Gentiles, whom God drove out before the face of our fathers until the days of David, |
| 46 | who found favor before God and asked to find a dwelling for the God of Jacob. |
| 47 | But Solomon built Him a house. |
| 48 | "However, the Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands, as the prophet says: |
| 49 | "Heaven is My throne, And earth is My footstool. What house will you build for Me? says the LORD, Or what is the place of My rest? |
| 50 | Has My hand not made all these things?' |
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 118 : 8 - 9
Chapter 118
| 8 | It is better to trust in the LORD Than to put confidence in man. |
| 9 | It is better to trust in the LORD Than to put confidence in princes. |
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.
John 13 : 16 - 20
Chapter 13
| 16 | Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. |
| 17 | If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. |
| 18 | "I do not speak concerning all of you. I know whom I have chosen; but that the Scripture may be fulfilled, "He who eats bread with Me has lifted up his heel against Me.' |
| 19 | Now I tell you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe that I am He. |
| 20 | Most assuredly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me." |
And Glory be to God forever.
The Holy Spirit is sent to the entire universe and since creation has been transforming [the universe], carrying it toward the final resurrection. . . . The same Spirit renews humanity. . . . This new humanity must move all nations, each in accordance with its diversity. The Spirit unites without imposing uniformity. —José Comblin [1]
From medieval times to the Great Awakening and other periods of religious revival, Christians have eagerly anticipated an age of the Spirit. But I believe all of history has been the age of the Spirit. Creation just keeps unfolding (see Romans 8:19-25). The evolution of stars, species, and consciousness has never stopped since the very beginning. In fact, we now know that the universe is still expanding. But our hierarchical, masculine-without-feminine, and static notion of God did not allow many to see this.
History keeps moving forward with ever-new creativity. Admittedly, this movement is accompanied by much push back. Just look at what’s happened in the last century! The immense advances in consciousness, science, technology, and awareness are astounding, despite all the horrible wars and injustice, both personal and systemic. While I don’t want to diminish how much we still have to do to create an equitable world, it’s become almost impossible for privileged folks to deny the ongoing marginalization of people of color, gender diverse individuals, the poor, and those with disabilities.
Theologian Jürgen Moltmann (b. 1926) writes:
In the experience of the Spirit a new community of rich and poor, the educated and the uneducated comes into being. The Spirit of God is no respecter of social distinctions; it puts an end to them. All Spirit-impelled revival movements in the history of Christianity have taken note of these social revolutionary elements in the experience of the Spirit and have spread them. They became a danger to the patriarchy, the men’s church and the slave-owners. [2]
The Holy Spirit never gives up on us. Scripture’s arc reveals the salvation of history and all creation, and not merely of individuals. Divine covenants are with the people collectively—the “house” and the future. Individuals like Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Moses, David, and Esther are only the instruments and the mediators. Each individual is caught up in the salvific sweep of history, almost in spite of herself or himself, as YHWH shows mercy to Israel and their descendants forever (see, for example, Genesis 13:15; Exodus 32:13).
The Spirit is like a homing device put inside of us, and all creation, too. For all of our ignorance and mistakes, there is in everything this deep, internal dignity convinced of its own value. This divine indwelling keeps insisting, “I am what I am seeking!” This is surely what Jesus means when he says that all true prayers are already assured of their answer (see Matthew 7:7-8 and 1 John 5:14-15).
It’s God in you that loves God; it’s God through you that recognizes God elsewhere; it’s God for you that assures you that you are finally and forever okay. This is Trinitarian spirituality, which buttresses you on every side. This is what it means to live inside the Trinitarian flow. And it is all now, and not just later. You are already home free!
References:
[1] José Comblin, The Holy Spirit and Liberation (Wipf & Stock Publishers: 1989), 75.
[2] Jürgen Moltmann, The Source of Life (Fortress Press: 1997), 23.
Adapted from Richard Rohr with Mike Morrell, The Divine Dance: The Trinity and Your Transformation (Whitaker House: 2016), 146-147, 150-151.