THE SEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY (JULY 19TH)

The Feeding of the Four Thousand in a Contemporary Greek Icon

THE DIVINE LITURGY OF ST. JAMES OF JERUSALEM

According to the Use of the Ancient Church of the West

THE SEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY

THE INTROIT

Omnes gentes — Psalm 47

O CLAP your hands together, all ye people: O sing unto God with the voice of melody. For the Lord is high and to be feared: he is the great King upon all the earth. 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 COLLECTS

LORD of all power and might, who art the author and giver of all good things: graft in our hearts the love of thy Name, increase in us true religion; nourish us with all goodness; and of thy great mercy keep us in the same; through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end.

Amen.

O Almighty God, who didst raise up in the British Isles and throughout the Celtic and Anglo-Saxon lands a glorious company of Saints and Confessors: Grant us, we beseech Thee, so to follow their blessed examples, that we may be steadfast in faith, joyful in hope, and constant in charity; and finally, with them, may we obtain to be partakers of Thy heavenly kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

O ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, who didst strengthen thy blessed Confessor Saint Emilianos to contend earnestly for the faith once delivered unto the saints, and to endure exile and suffering rather than deny the holy confession of thy Incarnate Son: Grant unto us, we beseech thee, such constancy in the truth, that, honoring Christ both in word and deed, we may never be ashamed to bear witness unto him before the world; and, steadfast in the communion of thy Church, may at the last attain unto the eternal reward prepared for all faithful confessors; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen. 

THE OLD TESTAMENT LESSON

2 Samuel 4:1—5:12

And when Saul's son heard that Abner was dead in Hebron, his hands were feeble, and all the Israelites were troubled. And Saul's son had two men that were captains of bands: the name of the one was Baanah, and the name of the other Rechab, the sons of Rimmon a Beerothite, of the children of Benjamin: (for Beeroth also was reckoned to Benjamin: And the Beerothites fled to Gittaim, and were sojourners there until this day.) And Jonathan, Saul's son, had a son that was lame of his feet. He was five years old when the tidings came of Saul and Jonathan out of Jezreel, and his nurse took him up, and fled: and it came to pass, as she made haste to flee, that he fell, and became lame. And his name was Mephibosheth. And the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, went, and came about the heat of the day to the house of Ishbosheth, who lay on a bed at noon. And they came thither into the midst of the house, as though they would have fetched wheat; and they smote him under the fifth rib: and Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped. For when they came into the house, he lay on his bed in his bedchamber, and they smote him, and slew him, and beheaded him, and took his head, and gat them away through the plain all night. And they brought the head of Ishbosheth unto David to Hebron, and said to the king, Behold the head of Ishbosheth the son of Saul thine enemy, which sought thy life; and the LORD hath avenged my lord the king this day of Saul, and of his seed. And David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and said unto them, As the LORD liveth, who hath redeemed my soul out of all adversity, When one told me, saying, Behold, Saul is dead, thinking to have brought good tidings, I took hold of him, and slew him in Ziklag, who thought that I would have given him a reward for his tidings: How much more, when wicked men have slain a righteous person in his own house upon his bed? shall I not therefore now require his blood of your hand, and take you away from the earth? And David commanded his young men, and they slew them, and cut off their hands and their feet, and hanged them up over the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ishbosheth, and buried it in the sepulchre of Abner in Hebron. Then came all the tribes of Israel to David unto Hebron, and spake, saying, Behold, we are thy bone and thy flesh. Also in time past, when Saul was king over us, thou wast he that leddest out and broughtest in Israel: and the LORD said to thee, Thou shalt feed my people Israel, and thou shalt be a captain over Israel. So all the elders of Israel came to the king to Hebron; and king David made a league with them in Hebron before the LORD: and they anointed David king over Israel. David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years. In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months: and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty and three years over all Israel and Judah. And the king and his men went to Jerusalem unto the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land: which spake unto David, saying, Except thou take away the blind and the lame, thou shalt not come in hither: thinking, David cannot come in hither. Nevertheless David took the strong hold of Zion: the same is the city of David. And David said on that day, Whosoever getteth up to the gutter, and smiteth the Jebusites, and the lame and the blind, that are hated of David's soul, he shall be chief and captain. Wherefore they said, The blind and the lame shall not come into the house. So David dwelt in the fort, and called it the city of David. And David built round about from Millo and inward. And David went on, and grew great, and the LORD God of hosts was with him. And Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar trees, and carpenters, and masons: and they built David an house. And David perceived that the LORD had established him king over Israel, and that he had exalted his kingdom for his people Israel's sake. 

THE NEW TESTAMENT LESSON

1 Peter 5:1–14

The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. By Silvanus, a faithful brother unto you, as I suppose, I have written briefly, exhorting, and testifying that this is the true grace of God wherein ye stand. The church that is at Babylon, elected together with you, saluteth you; and so doth Marcus my son.Greet ye one another with a kiss of charity. Peace be with you all that are in Christ Jesus. Amen.

THE EPISTLE

Romans 6:19–23

Brethren:

I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness. For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

THE GRADUAL

Come, ye children, and hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

℣. They had an eye unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed.

ALLELUIA

Alleluia, alleluia.

℣. O clap your hands together, all ye people: sing unto God with the voice of melody. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

THE HOLY GOSPEL

St. Mark 8:1–9

The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark.

Glory be to thee, O Lord.

At that time:

The multitude being very great, and having nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples unto him, and saith unto them,

"I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now been with me three days, and have nothing to eat:

"And if I send them away fasting to their own houses, they will faint by the way: for divers of them came from far."

And his disciples answered him, "From whence can a man satisfy these men with bread here in the wilderness?"

And he asked them, "How many loaves have ye?" And they said, "Seven."

And he commanded the people to sit down on the ground: and he took the seven loaves, and gave thanks, and brake, and gave to his disciples to set before them; and they did set them before the people.

And they had a few small fishes: and he blessed, and commanded to set them also before them.

So they did eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets.

And they that had eaten were about four thousand: and he sent them away.

THE OFFERTORY

Psalm 18

Thou shalt save the people that are in adversity, O Lord, and shalt bring down the high looks of the proud: for who is God, but the Lord?

THE SECRET 

WE BESEECH thee, O Lord, to have compassion upon our prayers, and graciously to accept the oblations of thy faithful people: and to the intent that none may ask amiss or fail in his petitions, grant, we beseech thee, that what we ask faithfully, we may obtain effectually; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

THE COMMUNION

Psalm 31

Bow down thine ear: make haste to deliver us.

THE POSTCOMMUNION

O LORD, who hast vouchsafed to satisfy us with these thy gifts: grant, we beseech thee, that the same may ever cleanse us by their operation, and defend us by their succour; through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.