THE SIXTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY (SEPT. 20)

A Modern Icon of Christ Raising the Widow’s Son

FOR THE DIVINE LITURGY OF ST. JAMES OF JERUSALEM 

ACCORDING TO THE USE OF THE ANCIENT CHURCH OF THE WEST 

INTROIT. Miserere mihi. Ps. 86.

BE MERCIFUL unto me, O Lord, for I will call daily upon thee: for thou, O Lord, art good and gracious, and of great mercy unto all them that call upon thee. Ps. ibid. Bow down thine ear, O Lord, and hear me: for I am poor and in misery. V. Glory be.

COLLECT.

O LORD, we beseech thee, let thy continual pity cleanse and defend thy Church: and, because it cannot continue in safety without thy succour, preserve it evermore by thy help and goodness. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

COMMEMORATION OF ST. CYPRIAN.

ALMIGHTY GOD, who brought Cyprian to faith in Christ, made him a bishop in the Church, and crowned his witness with a martyr’s death: Grant that, after his example, we may love the Church and her teachings, find thy forgiveness within her fellowship, and so come to share the heavenly banquet thou hast prepared for us; through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who livest and reignest with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

COMMEMORATION OF ST. NINIAN.

ALMIGHTY AND EVERLASTING GOD, who called thy servant St. Ninian to preach thy holy Gospel to the people of northern Britain: Raise up in this and every land heralds and evangelists of thy kingdom, that thy Holy Church may make known the immeasurable riches of thy Son our Saviour Jesus Christ, who livest and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

COMMEMORATION OF ST. EUPHEMIA.

O GOD, who didst strengthen thy holy martyr Euphemia with the grace of unwavering faith: Grant that we, inspired by her example, may endure every trial with the same courage, and ever confess thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

THE LITURGY OF THE WORD 

FIRST LESSON. 1 Kings 17:17–24.

AND it came to pass after these things, that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick; and his sickness was so sore, that there was no breath left in him. And she said unto Elijah, What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son? And he said unto her, Give me thy son. And he took him out of her bosom, and carried him up into a loft, where he abode, and laid him upon his own bed.

And he cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, hast thou also brought evil upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by slaying her son? And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, I pray thee, let this child’s soul come into him again. And the LORD heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived. 

And Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the chamber into the house, and delivered him unto his mother: and Elijah said, See, thy son liveth. And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in thy mouth is truth. 

SECOND LESSON. Revelation 3:20–4:6.

BEHOLD, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

AFTER this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter. And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald. 

And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold. And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind. 

EPISTLE. Ephesians 3:13–21.

I DESIRE that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory. For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the Church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. 

GRADUAL. Ps. 102.

The heathen shall fear thy Name, O Lord, and all the kings of the earth thy majesty. V. When the Lord shall build up Sion: and when his glory shall appear.

ALLELUIA.

Alleluia, alleluia. V. Ps. 98. O sing unto the Lord a new song: for he hath done marvelous things. Alleluia.

GOSPEL. Saint Luke 7:11–17.

AND it came to pass the day after, that he went into a city called Nain; and many of his disciples went with him, and much people. Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her.

And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not. And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise. And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother. 

And there came a fear on all: and they glorified God, saying, That a great prophet is risen up among us; and, That God hath visited his people. And this rumour of him went forth throughout all Judaea, and throughout all the region round about. 

THE LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST 

OFFERTORY. Ps. 40.

MAKE HASTE, O Lord, to help me: let them be ashamed and confounded together, that seek after my soul, to destroy it: make haste, O Lord, to help me.

SECRET.

GRANT, O Lord, we pray thee, that by the protection of thy holy sacraments, we may ever be defended against all the assaults of the devil. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

COMMUNION. Ps. 71.

O LORD, I will make mention of thy righteousness only: thou, O God, hast taught me from my youth up until now: forsake me not, O God, in mine old age, when I am grey-headed.

POSTCOMMUNION.

WE BESEECH thee, O Lord, that the operation of thy heavenly bounty may in such wise prevail upon us both in body and soul: that the desires of our hearts being done away, we may in all things be governed by the effectual working of the same. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.