Readings for Tue, April 2nd

Matins

Prophecies

Genesis 28:10-22

Now Jacob went out from Beersheba and went toward Haran. So he came to a certain place and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. And he took one of the stones of that place and put it at his head, and he lay down in that place to sleep. Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.

And behold, the LORD stood above it and said: "I am the LORD God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants. Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you."

Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, "Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it." And he was afraid and said, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!"

Then Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put at his head, set it up as a pillar, and poured oil on top of it. And he called the name of that place Bethel; but the name of that city had been Luz previously. Then Jacob made a vow, saying, "If God will be with me, and keep me in this way that I am going, and give me bread to eat and clothing to put on, so that I come back to my father's house in peace, then the LORD shall be my God. And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be God's house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You."

Isaiah 25:1-end ; Isaiah 26:1-8
O LORD, You are my God.
        I will exalt You,
        I will praise Your name,
        For You have done wonderful things;
        Your counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.
        For You have made a city a ruin,
        A fortified city a ruin,
        A palace of foreigners to be a city no more;
        It will never be rebuilt.
        Therefore the strong people will glorify You;
        The city of the terrible nations will fear You.
        For You have been a strength to the poor,
        A strength to the needy in his distress,
        A refuge from the storm,
        A shade from the heat;
        For the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.
        You will reduce the noise of aliens,
        As heat in a dry place;
        As heat in the shadow of a cloud,
        The song of the terrible ones will be diminished.
        And in this mountain
        The LORD of hosts will make for all people
        A feast of choice pieces,
        A feast of wines on the lees,
        Of fat things full of marrow,
        Of well-refined wines on the lees.
        And He will destroy on this mountain
        The surface of the covering cast over all people,
        And the veil that is spread over all nations.
        He will swallow up death forever,
        And the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces;
        The rebuke of His people
        He will take away from all the earth;
        For the LORD has spoken.
        And it will be said in that day:
        "Behold, this is our God;
        We have waited for Him, and He will save us.
        This is the LORD;
        We have waited for Him;
        We will be glad and rejoice in His salvation."
        For on this mountain the hand of the LORD will rest,
        And Moab shall be trampled down under Him,
        As straw is trampled down for the refuse heap.
        And He will spread out His hands in their midst
        As a swimmer reaches out to swim,
        And He will bring down their pride
        Together with the trickery of their hands.
        The fortress of the high fort of your walls
        He will bring down, lay low,
        And bring to the ground, down to the dust. In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah:
        "We have a strong city;
        God will appoint salvation for walls and bulwarks.
        Open the gates,
        That the righteous nation which keeps the truth may enter in.
        You will keep him in perfect peace,
        Whose mind is stayed on You,
        Because he trusts in You.
        Trust in the LORD forever,
        For in Yah, the LORD, is everlasting strength.
        For He brings down those who dwell on high,
        The lofty city;
        He lays it low,
        He lays it low to the ground,
        He brings it down to the dust.
        The foot shall tread it down--
        The feet of the poor
        And the steps of the needy."
        The way of the just is uprightness;
        O Most Upright,
        You weigh the path of the just.
        Yes, in the way of Your judgments,
        O LORD, we have waited for You;
        The desire of our soul is for Your name
        And for the remembrance of You.

Job 18:1-21
Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said:
        "How long till you put an end to words?
        Gain understanding, and afterward we will speak.
        Why are we counted as beasts,
        And regarded as stupid in your sight?
        You who tear yourself in anger,
        Shall the earth be forsaken for you?
        Or shall the rock be removed from its place?
        "The light of the wicked indeed goes out,
        And the flame of his fire does not shine.
        The light is dark in his tent,
        And his lamp beside him is put out.
        The steps of his strength are shortened,
        And his own counsel casts him down.
        For he is cast into a net by his own feet,
        And he walks into a snare.
        The net takes him by the heel,
        And a snare lays hold of him.
        A noose is hidden for him on the ground,
        And a trap for him in the road.
        Terrors frighten him on every side,
        And drive him to his feet.
        His strength is starved,
        And destruction is ready at his side.
        It devours patches of his skin;
        The firstborn of death devours his limbs.
        He is uprooted from the shelter of his tent,
        And they parade him before the king of terrors.
        They dwell in his tent who are none of his;
        Brimstone is scattered on his dwelling.
        His roots are dried out below,
        And his branch withers above.
        The memory of him perishes from the earth,
        And he has no name among the renowned.
        He is driven from light into darkness,
        And chased out of the world.
        He has neither son nor posterity among his people,
        Nor any remaining in his dwellings.
        Those in the west are astonished at his day,
        As those in the east are frightened.
        Surely such are the dwellings of the wicked,
        And this is the place of him who does not know God."

Son of Sirach 8:1 - 10:1
Do not contend with the powerful, or you may fall into their hands.
Do not quarrel with the rich, in case their resources outweigh yours; for gold has ruined many, and has perverted the minds of kings.
Do not argue with the loud of mouth, and do not heap wood on their fire.
Do not make fun of one who is ill-bred, or your ancestors may be insulted.
Do not reproach one who is turning away from sin; remember that we all deserve punishment.
Do not disdain one who is old, for some of us are also growing old.
Do not rejoice over anyone's death; remember that we must all die.
Do not slight the discourse of the sages, but busy yourself with their maxims; because from them you will learn discipline and how to serve princes.
Do not ignore the discourse of the aged, for they themselves learned from their parents; from them you learn how to understand and to give an answer when the need arises.
Do not let the insolent bring you to your feet, or they may lie in ambush against your words.
Do not lend to one who is stronger than you; but if you do lend anything, count it as a loss.
Do not give surety beyond your means; but if you give surety, be prepared to pay.
Do not go to law against a judge, for the decision will favor him because of his standing.
Do not go traveling with the reckless, or they will be burdensome to you; for they will act as they please, and through their folly you will perish with them.
Do not pick a fight with the quick-tempered, and do not journey with them through lonely country, because bloodshed means nothing to them, and where no help is at hand, they will strike you down.
Do not consult with fools, for they cannot keep a secret.
In the presence of strangers do nothing that is to be kept secret, for you do not know what they will divulge.
Do not reveal your thoughts to anyone, or you may drive away your happiness.
Do not be jealous of the wife of your bosom, or you will teach her an evil lesson to your own hurt.
Do not give yourself to a woman and let her trample down your strength.
Do not go near a loose woman, or you will fall into her snares.
Do not dally with a singing girl, or you will be caught by her tricks.
Do not look intently at a virgin, or you may stumble and incur penalties for her.
Do not give yourself to prostitutes, or you may lose your inheritance.
Do not look around in the streets of a city, or wander about in its deserted sections.
Turn away your eyes from a shapely woman, and do not gaze at beauty belonging to another; many have been seduced by a woman's beauty, and by it passion is kindled like a fire.
Never dine with another man's wife, or revel with her at wine; or your heart may turn aside to her, and in blood F51 you may be plunged into destruction.
Do not abandon old friends, for new ones cannot equal them. A new friend is like new wine; when it has aged, you can drink it with pleasure.
Do not envy the success of sinners, for you do not know what their end will be like.
Do not delight in what pleases the ungodly; remember that they will not be held guiltless all their lives.
Keep far from those who have power to kill, and you will not be haunted by the fear of death. But if you approach them, make no misstep, or they may rob you of your life. Know that you are stepping among snares, and that you are walking on the city battlements.
As much as you can, aim to know your neighbors, and consult with the wise.
Let your conversation be with intelligent people, and let all your discussion be about the law of the Most High.
Let the righteous be your dinner companions, and let your glory be in the fear of the Lord.
A work is praised for the skill of the artisan; so a people's leader is proved wise by his words.
The loud of mouth are feared in their city, and the one who is reckless in speech is hated.
A wise magistrate educates his people, and the rule of an intelligent person is well ordered.

Psalm

From the psalms of our teacher David the prophet, may his blessings be with us Amen.

Psalm 17:1

Hear a just cause, O LORD,
Attend to my cry;
Give ear to my prayer which is not from deceitful lips

Gospel

Matthew 21:28-32

"But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, "Son, go, work today in my vineyard.' He answered and said, "I will not,' but afterward he regretted it and went. Then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, "I go, sir,' but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?"

They said to Him, "The first."

Jesus said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward relent and believe him.

Liturgy

Pauline Epistle

From the epistle of teacher St. Paul the apostle to the (...), may his blessings be with us Amen.

Ephesians 4:1-16

I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift. Therefore He says:
        "When He ascended on high,
        He led captivity captive,
        And gave gifts to men."

Now this, "He ascended"--what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.

And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head--Christ-- from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

The grace of God the Father be with you all. Amen.

Catholic Epistle

The catholic epistle from the epistle of our teacher St. (...), may his blessings be with us Amen. My beloved.

2Peter 2:2-8

And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber.

For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly; and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly; and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds--

The Acts of our fathers the Apostles, may their holy blessings be with us all. Amen.

Acts 27:1-3

And when it was decided that we should sail to Italy, they delivered Paul and some other prisoners to one named Julius, a centurion of the Augustan Regiment. So, entering a ship of Adramyttium, we put to sea, meaning to sail along the coasts of Asia. Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica, was with us. And the next day we landed at Sidon. And Julius treated Paul kindly and gave him liberty to go to his friends and receive care.

Psalm

From the psalms of our teacher David the prophet, may his blessings be with us Amen.

Psalm 17:6

I have called upon You, for You will hear me, O God;
Incline Your ear to me, and hear my speech.

Gospel

Luke 9:57-62

Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, "Lord, I will follow You wherever You go."

And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."

Then He said to another, "Follow Me."

But he said, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father."

Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God."

And another also said, "Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house."

But Jesus said to him, "No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."