Twenty-second Sunday after Trinity

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For the Twenty-second Sunday after Trinity the Collect was adapted by Archbishop Thomas Cranmer for the 1549 Book of Common Prayer from a late edition of the Gregorian Sacramentary. The Gregorian Sacramentary was named in honor of Roman Catholic Pope Gregory the Great, who presided at Rome from 590 to 6o4 A.D. Based on 10th C. document at the Vatican Library, it is one of the three great sacramentaries of the Roman Catholic tradition (Gregorian, Gelasian & Leonine). Scholars argue that the content of the work reflects the influence of Charlemagne, implying a contribution by Alcuin of York, who was the Emperor’s spiritual advisor and teacher. For more on the relationship between Charlemagne and Alcuin, see the blog posting for March 16, A.D. 2024. The design of the volume reflects the style of the sacramentaries produced in Germany during the period of the Ottonian successors to the throne of Charlesmagne. The collect is one of three used in Trinity season in which there are prayers for the Church Universal. The other two are the Collects for the Fifth and the Sixteenth Sundays after Trinity. A similar Collect, also based on the Gregorian Sacramentary, is read on the Fifth Sunday after Epiphany, a Sunday which can be transferred to Trinitytide in years with more than twenty-four Sundays after Trinity. The Fifth Sunday after Epiphany and the complex rules through which select Sundays in Epiphany can be transferred to Trinitytide is discussed in Episode Three of our video series, Epiphany: the Manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles.

LORD, we beseech thee to keep thy household the Church in continual godliness;
that through thy protection it may be free from all adversities,
and devoutly given to serve thee in good works,
to the glory of thy Name through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Epistle reading for Twenty-second Sunday after Trinity, Philippians 1:3-11, advances to the next epistle in the canonical list of the epistles of St. Paul. In the older Latin plan of readings, the selection began with verse 5. Verses 3 and 4 were added in the 1662 Book of Common Prayer. St. Luke described Philippi as the “foremost city” in the Greek region of Macedonia (Acts 16:12). . A modern Greek Orthodox baptistery at Philippi, traditionally described as being on the remains of the site visited at the time of St. Paul’s baptism of Lydia (Acts 16:11-15), appears in Illustration No. 57 in the AIC Bookstore Publication, The Acts of the Apostles: Annotated & Illustrated, available through my Amazon Author Central page. Additional details and pricing are found on the AIC Bookstore page. When St. Paul writes about “fellowship” in the Gospel, he relies upon the Greek koinonia [Strong’s Greek word # 2842, related to # 2844), which has the same meaning as “thy household the Church” in the Collect. St. Paul refers twice (verses 6 and 10) to a “day of Jesus Christ/day of Christ), when means the promised Second Coming, from the Greek parousia [Strong’s Greek word # 3952]. The Apostle to the Gentiles assures the Philippians of “the fruits of righteousness” that come only from Jesus Christ. I discuss the meaning of “fellowship” (verse 5), “discernment” (verse 9) and “righteous/righteousness” (verse 119) and nearly 350 other commonly used words and terms, in Layman’s Lexicon: A Handbook of Scriptural, Theological & Liturgical Terms, also available using through my Amazon Author Central page. The entire reading is part of St. Paul’s prayer for the congregation at Philippi.

The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant, oil on canvas, 1649 A.D., Claude Vignon, Musee des Beaux Arts, Tours, France.
Wikimedia Commons

The Gospel reading, Matthew 18:21-35, is the seventh of nine readings in Trinitytide from the Gospel of Matthew. The reading includes two parts. Prayer Book scholar Massey Shepherd noted that verses 21 and 22, including Peter’s question and Jesus’ answer, were added to the traditional Latin pericope (meaning a collection of quotes from Scripture used in a liturgy) for the 1662 Book of Common Prayer. The addition placed the reading in the broader context of the forgiveness which Jesus announced in the Second Petition of the Lord’s Prayer. Following the two-verse dialogue on forgiveness is the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant (also commonly known as the Parable of the Ten Thousand Talents), revealing a king who practiced forgiveness of one of his servants, which servant then failed to heed the lesson and failed to forgive one of his own servants. In the final verse (verse 35), St. Matthew returned to the theme of St. Peter’s question in verse 1 with Jesus’ final pronouncement: “So my heavenly father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.” The historical style image above was used as Illustration No. 105 in The Gospel of Matthew: Annotated & Illustrated, available through my Amazon Author Central page. F.Y.I.: the AIC sells these publications solely through Amazon so that we do not have to stock any inventory or report retail sales since the seller is Amazon and not the AIC. All author royalties from the sale of these publications are contributed to the AIC.

My Podcast Homily for the Communion service on the Twenty-second Sunday after Trinity is available in MP3 format. Another Podcast Homily, this one paired to the readings for Morning Prayer, is linked from the Podcast Homilies-Morning Prayer page. The Collect, Epistle and Gospel readings for Twenty-second Sunday after Trinity are one of the subjects in Episode Eight in our Christian Education Video series, Trinitytide: the Teaching Season. Interesting images of the remains of basilicas, mosaics and a map of Philippi are available in the Philippi entry at Wikipedia.

Next week I will begin adjusting the Home/Welcome page of this site by modifying links to entries for Trinity season, which this year has 25 days after Trinity. The changes will include links to materials related to Advent season. Advent, a season of penitence and preparation (for Christmas), which heralds the start of a new Church Year on the Anglican Calendar. Advent always begins on the Sunday closest to the Feast of St. Andrew (Nov. 30). In A.D. 2024, the First Sunday in Advent is December 1st.

As always, thank you for your interest and support.

Twenty-first Sunday after Trinity

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For the Twenty-first Sunday after Trinity the Collect is another adaptation by Archbishop Cranmer from the Gelasian Sacramentary (Rome, circa 750 A.D.) for the 1549 Book of Common Prayer. It is also the last Gelasian Sacramentary collect for the season. The collect includes an iconic phrase, “pardon and peace,” in which pardon was substituted for the medieval Latin phrase “indulgence.” The word “indulgence” was, in Cranmer’s view, too closely allied to the Roman Catholic practice of selling indulgences to those with appropriate financial resources. The word “quiet” in the final phrase replaced the Latin “secure.” Quiet in mind implies unshakeable faith in the face of adversity, a concept which remains essential in the anti-Christian political and cultural environment of the 21st C. The Collect is often used by non-ordained Church leadership as a closing prayer in Morning Prayer, since it offers the hope of forgiveness without the official sanction of Absolution which only an ordained clergyman can dispense.

GRANT, we beseech thee, merciful Lord, to thy faithful people pardon and peace,
that they may be cleansed from all their sins, and serve thee with a quiet mind;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Epistle reading, Ephesians 6:10-20, advances one chapter in St. Paul’s epistles from the reading for Twentieth Sunday after Trinity. The lesson includes some of the most important and boldest statements of the traditional teachings of the Apostle Paul concerning, in the broadest sense, the concept of “Spiritual Warfare.” The verses include several iconic martial phrases used in the context of the battle against “the wiles of the devil” (verse 11) and the “spiritual hosts of wickenedness in the heavenly places” (verse 12). These include “the whole armour of God” (twice, verses 11 and 13), “the breastplate of righteousness” (verse 14), “the shield of faith” (verse 16), “the helmet of salvation” (verse 17) and “the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God” (verse 18). Less military-sounding defenses include “the gospel of peace” (verse 15) in the concept of appropriate footware for spiritual conflict. “Principalities and powers” in verse twelve refers to the traditional understanding of the ranks or orders of angels and heavenly powers. I discuss this interpretation in Ninth Day (Jan 2nd) in our video series, The Twelve Day of Christmas and also in our Bookstore Publication, Angels: In Scripture, Prayer and Christian Tradition, available through my Amazon Author Central page. Paul refers to the importance of prayer and to his own boldness in defense of Christian doctrine in the closing verses (verse 18, 19 & 20).

Paul, miniature illumination in colors and gold on parchment inside the letter “P,” placed before the start of 2 Corinthians, Gloss on the Pauline Epistles, Peter Lombard, France, 4th Qtr. 12th C.-1st Qtr., 13th C., Ms. Royal 4 E IX, Folio 64, British Library, London, England. Perspective correction applied.

The Peter Lombard illumination was used as Illustration No. 74 in The Act of the Apostles: Annotated & Illustrated, available using the link to my Amazon Author Central page. Although the image was used in association with the 2nd letter to the Corinthians, it is used here owing to St. Paul’s fierce facial expression. My personal favorite image of a militant St. Paul was used in the blog post for Seventh Sunday after Trinity, linked from July 2024 entry in the right hand column.

The Gospel reading, John 4:46-54, is the fifth of six readings from the Gospel of John during the period between Whitsunday and Sunday Next before Advent. The subject of the reading is the second “sign” of Jesus’ divinity cited in the Gospel of John, being John’s record of Jesus’ remote healing of a nobleman’s son. According to John’s account, only Jesus, the Nobleman and His Disciples were present in Cana of Galilee, which was also the site of the first miracle recorded by John in Chapter Two. The Nobleman’s son was ill at Capernaum. This record by John near the start of Jesus’ public ministry, traditionally understood to have been in 27 A.D., is unusual in two important ways. In his unique style, John sets the mood of the scene with an account of Jesus having left Judea and gone into the Galilee. In verse 48, John records Jesus, knowing the Nobleman’s thoughts, declaring: “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe.” In verse 49a, the worried man begs Jesus to come with him and heal his sick son in Capernaum, to which plea Jesus responds: “Go your way; your son lives.” John confidently states in the same verse that the Nobleman “believed the word that Jesus spoke.” In the remaing verses, John records the details of how the man learned that his son recovered “at the same hour” which Jesus spoke (7th hour, or 1 PM). John records that not only did the man believe but his household also (verse 51). The historical sytle image below, from the Bowyer Bible, was used as Illustration No. 33 in The Gospel of John: Annotated & Illustrated, available through my Amazon Author Central page. It also appears in Slides 1215-1233 in Episode Thirty-six, the first of four episodes focused on the miracles (or “signs” from the Greek Semeion) of Jesus in our Bible Study video series, The New Testament.

Healing the Nobleman’s Son, etching/engraving, Jan Luyken, 1840, Bowyer Bible, Bolton Library, Bolton, Lancashire, England. From PHOTO by Harry Kossuth; TEXT by Phillip Medhurst. From the 2018 A.D. digital edition, Early Scenes in the Life of Christ, Harry Kossuth (photographs) and Phillip Medhurst (text).

The Collect, Epistle and Gospel readings for Twenty-first Sunday after Trinity are discussed and illustrated in Episode Eight in our video series, Trinitytide: the Teaching Season.

As always, thank you for your interest and support.

Twentieth Sunday after Trinity

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For Twentieth Sunday after Trinity the Collect is another of Archbishop Cranmer’s adaptations from the Gelasian Sacramentary (Paris, c. 750 A.D.). In this case the original Cranmer collect has been modified twice, first for the 1662 Book of Common Prayer in which the Latin phrase “being propitiated” was replaced with “of thy bountiful goodness,” and, in 1789 A.D., in the first American Book of Common Prayer, the collect getting a new ending (“which thou commandest”). The word “cheerfully,” which replaced “with free hearts,” means willingly. For this change and more on the many changes made in the 1662 Book of Common Prayer, consult Massey Shepherd, Jr.’s landmark volume, The Oxford American Prayer Book Commentary, available online for download in pdf format. Shepherd comments upon the history and other details of each Collect, Epistle and Gospel reading.

O ALMIGHTY and most merciful God, of thy bountiful goodness keep us, we beseech thee,
from all things that may hurt us; that we, being ready both in body and soul,
may cheerfully accomplish those things which thou commandest; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Epistle reading, Ephesians 5:15-21, is from the next chapter in the canonical order of the Pauline epistles, once again to the congregation at Ephesus which the “Apostle to the Gentiles” established on his Second Missionary Journey. These seven verses offer St. Paul’s advice to Christians to let themselves be “filled with the Holy Spirit,” rather than being “drunk with wine” and include one his most memorable phrases describing the joy of the Christian faith: “speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.” In the same vein, one of the greatest saints of the early Church, Athanasius of Alexandria, wrote in the 4th C. that “the art of singing effects harmony in the soul.” Many Anglican organizations include an appointed Psalm reading and Old Testament lesson placed just before the Epistle reading in Holy Communion. The participatory, that is, verse and response, reading of the Psalm should be part of every Anglican service and not just the Morning and Evening Prayer services.

St. Matthew, illumination in colors and gold on parchment, produced in Ireland or England, circa 800 A.D., The Book of Kells, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland. The image reflects the traditional interpretation of the vision in Ezekiel 1:4-12, with Matthew shown as Man/Angel. The volume is one of the finest examples of Christian art in the Western Church tradition.
Parable of the Great Supper, etching/engraving, Jan Luyken, Bowyer Bible, published 1840, Bolton Library, Bolton, England. This image depicting verses 11-13, with image by Phillip Medhurst and text by Harry Kossuth, is from a 2018 digital edition of their Early Scenes in the Life of Christ.

The Gospel reading, Matthew 22:1-14, records another event in the week before the arrest, trial and crucifixion of Christ, being St. Matthew’s record of the Parable of the Wedding Feast, also known as the Parable of the Great Supper. The event, also recorded in Luke 14:15-24 took place just two days before Maundy Thursday. This is the sixth of eight readings from St. Matthew’s Gospel in the Whitsunday/Trinitytide cycle. There have been many explanations of the meaning of the phrases “highways,” which are searched for those who are worthy. Jesus provided an explanation in the final verse. Perhaps lost in the modern world is the tradition that the host provided the Wedding Garment which the guest in question was not wearing. The guest was confronted by the “king,” who pronounced “Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping, and gnashing of teeth.” Jesus closed the address with a warning, putting these words into the mouth of the offended king: “For many are called, but few are chosen.” (verse 14). The image of St. Matthew from the Book of Kells was used in Episode Eight in the AIC Christian Education Video series, Trinitytide: the Teaching Season. Another image by Jan Luyken from the Bowyer Bible, illustrating the opening verses in the Gospel reading, appeared as Illustration No. 80 in the AIC Bookstore Publication, The Gospel of Luke: Annotated & Illustrated. The book is available in paperback at my Amazon Author Central page.

As noted many times in earlier posts, the AIC web site offers teaching materials in all three categories as part of our WATCH | LISTEN | READ initiative. Curiously, the subject of individual learning preferences, that is, whether one prefers the written or spoken word or a visual version came up during a conversation with a nurse during my doctor’s visit this month. The offering of all three media is made possible by donations and by the book royalties for AIC Bookstore Publications which are contributed to the AIC. To enhance ease of use, all three media are linked from tabs at the top and bottom of all pages on this site. Please note that, depending upon the subject matter, videos are linked from either the Digital Library page (for the seasonal and topical videos) and the Bible Study/New Testament pages (for the Gospel and Revelation series).

One final note. Be of good cheer and do not let the bias of the corporate world and the media affect your confidence in, and reliance upon, traditional Church teachings. Your best defense against their c0mbined assault on Christianity — remembering that the Church has been under attack since the 1st C.– is to attend a local church where you can, receive Holy Communion regularly, and, when neither is possible, read Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer in the 1928 Book of Common Prayer or the daily “Hours” offices (First, Third, Sixth, Ninth hours plus Vespers and Compline), available in our publication, Hear Us, O Lord: Daily Prayers for the Laity.

As always, thank you for your interest and support. Glory be to God for all things! Amen!

Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity

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The Collect for Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity is another adaption by Archbishop Cranmer from the Gelasian Sacramentary for use in the 1549 Book of Common Prayer. It is also another which was amended for the 1662 Book of Common Prayer in which the reference to the Holy Spirit was added. The change made the Collect more consistent with the theme of both the Epistle and Gospel and of the season of Trinitytide. The phrase “direct and rule our hearts” was very popular among the early Saints in the Eastern Church tradition. The doctrine of the equality of the Holy Spirit with God the Father and God the Son was made part of the original Nicene Creed at the Council of Constantinople (or Second Ecumenical Council), 381 A.D. The Council was influenced by the writings of Gregory Nazianzen, who was the presiding Bishop, Gregory of Nyssa and his late brother, Basil of Caesarea. The work of that Council is discussed in detail, with illustrations, in the AIC Christian Education Video series, The Nicene Creed, presented in eight episodes (with the changes made in 381 A.D. in Episode Seven). The contributions of the two Gregories and of Basil of Caesarea are also discussed and illustrated in our video series, The Lives of the Saints, Second Series. Gregory of Nyssa (Feast Day: Jan. 10th) is celebrated in Episode Six; Gregory Nazianzen (Feast Day: Jan. 25th, with some jurisdictions including him with two others in May), in Episode Eight; and Basil of Caesarea (Feast Day: Jun. 14th) in Episode Seventeen. Basil’s most famous essay, On the Holy Spirit, is available in paperback from St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press (ISBN: 978913836-74-3), as Volume 5 in its Popular Patristics Series.

O GOD, forasmuch as without thee we are not able to please thee;
Mercifully grant that thy Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

St. Paul, illumination in colors and gold on parchment, Siegberg Lectionary, produced at the Benedictine Abbey of St. Michael, Siegberg, Germany, 2nd Qtr., 12th C. Ms. Harley 2889, Folio 2, British Library, London, England. St. Paul shown holding a scroll rather than the traditional use of a symbol of the manner of death.

The Epistle reading for Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity again follows the pattern of the Gelasian Sacramentary (See the blog posts for Trinity 16 and Trinity 17). The sequence was interrupted by the reading from 1st Corinthians for Trinity 18. The Epistle reading, Ephesians 4:17-32, is another long quotation from St. Paul’s Epistle to the congregation he founded in Asia Minor on his Second Missionary Journey. Ephesus was known as the “first city of Asia” when the Third Ecumenical Council met there in 431 A.D. and granted the Blessed Virgin Mary the title, Theotokos, or Mother of God in modern English. As usual, St. Paul was not shy in expressing his views. He speaks emphatically of the “new” man, who, following Christian teachings from the Gospels, is distinct from the “old” man of the Gentile world.

St. Paul also wrote about the need to master one’s passion, by which he means not just sexual lust but passion for material things, including money. The epistle formed much of the scriptural foundation for the lists of Christian virtue. These virtues were previously confined to oral tradition. They appeared first in written form in the Eastern and Western Church traditions in the 6th, 7th and 8th C. St. Paul ends his counsel to the Ephesians with advice on the subject of forgiveness. Forgiven is also major theme of the Gospel reading. The illustration of St. Paul from the Siegberg Lectionary was also used in several AIC Christian Education Video Series, Advent: The Season of Penitence & Preparation, Episode One; The Great “O” Antiphons, Dec. 22nd, Fifth Antiphon (O Oriens); The Twelve Days of Christmas, Third Day-Peace-Dec. 27); Epiphany: the Manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles, Episode Three; and Trinitytide: the Teaching Season, Episode Seven. For more about the architectual remains left by the Christian population at Ephesus, now Selcuk, Izmir Province, Turkey, including the Tomb of St. John, watch the AIC Bible Study Video series, Revelation: An Idealist Interpretation, Episode Five.

The Gospel reading for Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity, Matthew 9:1-8, is the fifth of nine readings from St. Matthew’s Gospel in Trinitytide. A very short reading, or “pericope” (scholarly terminology meaning Scripture verses read in a liturgy), includes two of St. Matthew’s major themes: the birth and life of Jesus as fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy and events in both His Nativity and life as demonstrations of His divinity. The reading includes some unique details, including the only example of someone who is healed by Jesus being lowered into the scene through the roof, in this case of a house in the region of Capernaum, or “his own city” in verse 1, near the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. The time of the event is early in Jesus’ public ministry, likely in 27 A.D. The audience for the event includes Jesus’ Disciples (not named in the text), the paralytic man and his friends, and “Scribes,” meaning men associated with the Pharisees and with the governance of the Temple. Unlike other accounts of miraculous healings, there are no dramatic examples of the actual healing. Instead, the focus is on the meaning of the event. In this case, Jesus gives credit for the healing to the “faith” of the man’s friends, who have gone to considerable trouble and effort to lower the man into the presence of Jesus.

In St. Matthew’s account, Jesus demonstrates His divinity in knowing the thoughts of both the paralyzed man’s friends, “he saw their faith” (v. 2b) and said to the paralyzed man: “Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.” When “some of the scribes” in their minds accuse Jesus of blasphemy, Jesus said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say ‘Arise and walk?’ “But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins.” (verses 4b, 5 & 6a). When they did not answer, Jesus said: “Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” (verse 6b). St. Matthew records in one of his characteristic summaries that the man arose and departed for his home and that the multitudes “marveled and glorified God, who had given such power to men.” (verses 7 & 8). The phrase “Glorifying God” is the key phrase for Eleventh Day – January 4th in the AIC Christian Education Video series, The Twelve Days of Christmas, in which there are key words or phrases for all the days from Dec. 25th to Jan. 5th (Epiphany Eve).

Healing the Paralytic Man at Capernaum, tinted drawing on parchment, one of four Gospel scenes on a single page, Holkam Bible Picture Book, produced at or near London, 1327-1335, Ms. Additional 47682, Folio 24v, British Library, London, England. Commissioned by an unknown Dominican friar, the book was acquired by English collector Thomas Coke in 1816. Formerly known as the Holkam Ms. 66, it was purchased by the British Library, 1952. The image is based on Mark 2:1-12 and St. Luke 5:17-26. The complete book includes 231 miniatures, generally two per page illustrating scenes from Genesis through the Gospel accounts of the Ascension. The captions are in Anglo-Norman French with some English words. Description © British Library Board.

The image from the Holkam Bible Picture Book also appears as Illustration No. 25 in the AIC Bookstore Publication, The Gospel of Mark: Annotated & Illustrated. As with all our books, the volume is available using the link to my Amazon Author Central page.

In my research for this Blog post, I realized that the video and soundtrack for Episode Five and Episode Six in our series, The War on Christianity were never completed. I have started work on finishing the script and slide with the goal of completing the work during January A.D. 2025.

One final note: the blog post for Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity did not include any reference to the Archangel Michael, whose Feast Day, September 29th, coincided with Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity. Images and text regarding St. Michael are the subject of two AIC Christian Education Video series, The Lives of the Saint, Second Series, Episode Twenty-three, and the traditional understanding of the origin, number (or orders or ranks) and nature of angels in The Twelve Days of Christmas, Ninth Day (Jan. 2nd).

As always, thank you for your interest and support. Glory be to God for all things! Amen!