THE FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY

"Forgive, and ye shall be forgiven" Luke 6:37

For the Divine Liturgy of Saint James of Jerusalem According to the Use of the Ancient Church of the West

INTROIT

Dominus illuminatio mea. Psalm 27

The Lord is my light, and my salvation; whom then shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom then shall I be afraid? When mine enemies came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.

Though an host of men were laid against me, yet shall not my heart be afraid; and though there rose up war against me, yet will I put my trust in him.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost: As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

The Lord is my light and my salvation…

COLLECTS

O GOD, the protector of all that trust in thee, without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy: increase and multiply upon us thy mercy; that, thou being our ruler and guide, we may so pass through things temporal, that we finally lose not the things eternal: Grant this, O heavenly Father, for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

O Eternal God, who didst make thine Abbot Saint Benedict a wise master in the school of thy service, and a guide for many called into the common life to follow the rule of Christ: grant that we may put thy love above all things, and seek with joy the way of thy commandments; through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen

OLD TESTAMENT LESSON

Exodus 31:18; 32:1–8, 15–20

And the LORD gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God. And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, they gathered themselves unto Aaron, and said, Make us gods, which shall go before us. And Aaron said, Break off the golden earrings, and bring them unto me. And he made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of Egypt. And they rose up early, and offered burnt offerings, and the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. And the LORD said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people have corrupted themselves. They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them. And Moses turned, and went down with the two tables of the testimony in his hand. And it came to pass, as soon as he saw the calf and the dancing, that Moses’ anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them. And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it in the fire, and ground it to powder.

NEW TESTAMENT LESSON

1 Corinthians 1:18–25; 2:1–5

For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.

AND I, brethren, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. And my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

EPISTLE

Romans 8:18–23

I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

GRADUAL

Psalm 79

Be merciful unto our sins, O Lord: wherefore do the heathen say, Where is now their God?

V. Help us, O God of our salvation: and for the glory of thy Name, deliver us, O Lord.

Alleluia, alleluia. V. Psalm 9: Thou, O God, art set in the throne that judgest right: be thou the refuge of the oppressed in due time of trouble. Alleluia.

GOSPEL

St. Luke 6:36–42

Jesus said to his disciples: Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. And he spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch? The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother’s eye.

OFFERTORY

Psalm 13

Lighten mine eyes, that I sleep not in death: lest mine enemy say, I have prevailed against him.

SECRET

REGARD, O Lord, we pray thee, the prayers and oblations of thy Church: and grant that they may ever be profitable for the salvation and sanctification of us thy faithful people. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

COMMUNION

Psalm 18

The Lord is my stony rock, and my defence: my Saviour, my God, and my might.

POSTCOMMUNION

WE PRAY thee, O Lord, that we being quickened by these mysteries which we have received: may thereby be cleansed from all our sins; and made ready for the obtaining of thy everlasting mercy. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.