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January

1 January

The Naming and Circumcision of Jesus

White

England, Ireland: Festival – Scotland, Wales: I

The celebration of this scriptural festival marks three events: firstly, the naming of the infant Christ as Jesus; secondly, the circumcision as the sign of the covenant between God and Abraham ‘and his children for ever’, thus Christ’s keeping of the Law; and thirdly, traditionally the first shedding of the Christ’s blood. The most significant of these in the gospels is the name itself, which means ‘Yahweh saves’ and so is linked to the question asked by Moses of God: ‘What is your name?’ ‘I am who I am,’ was the reply, hence the significance of Jesus’s words: ‘Before Abraham was, I am.’ This feast has been observed in the Church since at least the sixth century.

Collect

Almighty God,

whose blessed Son was circumcised

in obedience to the law for our sake

and given the Name that is above every name:

give us grace faithfully to bear his Name,

to worship him in the freedom of the Spirit,

and to proclaim him as the Saviour of the world;

who is alive and reigns with you,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever.

A reading from the book Numbers.

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying,

Thus you shall bless the Israelites: You shall say to them,

The Lord bless you and keep you;

the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you;

the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.

So they shall put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.

This is the word of the Lord.

Numbers 6.22–end

Responsorial Psalm

R: O Lord our governor,

how glorious is your name in all the world!

Your majesty above the heavens is praised

out of the mouths of babes at the breast.

You have founded a stronghold against your foes,

that you might still the enemy and the avenger. R

When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers,

the moon and the stars that you have ordained,

What is man, that you should be mindful of him;

the son of man, that you should seek him out?

You have made him little lower than the angels

and crown him with glory and honour. R

You have given him dominion over the works of your hands

and put all things under his feet,

All sheep and oxen, even the wild beasts of the field,

The birds of the air, the fish of the sea

and whatsoever moves in the paths of the sea. R

Psalm 8

A reading from the Letter of Paul to the Galatians.

When the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children. And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’ So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God.

This is the word of the Lord.

Galatians 4.4–7

Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke.

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.’ So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. After eight days had passed, it was time to circumcise the child; and he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

This is the Gospel of the Lord.

Luke 2.15–21

Post Communion

Eternal God,

whose incarnate Son was given the Name of Saviour:

grant that we who have shared

in this sacrament of our salvation

may live out our years in the power

of the Name above all other names,

Jesus Christ our Lord.

2 January

Basil the Great and Gregory of Nazianzus

White

Bishops, Teachers of the Faith

England: Lesser Festival

9 May – Wales (Gregory only): V

14 June – Scotland: Commemoration – Wales (Basil only): V

Gregory and Basil were two friends bound together by their desire to promote and defend the divinity of Christ as proclaimed in the Nicene Creed. This was against the seemingly overwhelming pressure from both Church and State for the establishment of Arianism, which denied Christ’s divinity and thus the whole Christian doctrine of the Trinity. Basil was renowned for being headstrong and forceful, in comparison to his friend Gregory, who would rather spend his days in prayer and living the simple, ascetic life. Gregory’s brilliance in oratory and theological debate meant that a hidden life was virtually impossible, and Basil drew him into the forefront of the controversy. Their joint persuasive eloquence convinced the first Council of Constantinople, meeting in 381, that their teaching was the truly orthodox one and the Council ratified the text of the Nicene Creed in the form in which it is used in the East to this day. Basil died in 379 and Gregory ten years later.

Collect

Lord God,

whose servants Basil and Gregory

proclaimed the mystery of your Word made flesh,

to build up your Church in wisdom and strength:

grant that we may rejoice in his presence among us,

and so be brought with them to know

the power of your unending love;

through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,

who is alive and reigns with you,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever.

A reading from the Wisdom of Solomon.

May God grant me to speak with judgement,

and to have thoughts worthy of what I have received;

for he is the guide even of wisdom

and the corrector of the wise.

For both we and our words are in his hand,

as are all understanding and skill in crafts.

For it is he who gave me unerring knowledge of what exists,

to know the structure of the world and the activity of the elements;

the beginning and end and middle of times,

the alternations of the solstices and the changes of the seasons,

the cycles of the year and the constellations of the stars,

the natures of animals and the tempers of wild animals,

the powers of spirits and the thoughts of human beings,

the varieties of plants and the virtues of roots;

I learned both what is secret and what is manifest,

for wisdom, the fashioner of all things, taught me.

This is the word of the Lord.

Wisdom 7.15–22a

Responsorial Psalm

R: You say, O Lord, ‘Seek my face’;

[your face will I seek].

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 the wicked, even my enemies and my foes,

came upon me to eat up my flesh,

they stumbled and fell. R

Though a host encamp against me,

my heart shall not be afraid,

and though there rise up war against me,

yet will I put my trust in him. R

One thing have I asked of the Lord and that alone I seek:

that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,

To behold the fair beauty of the Lord

and to seek his will in his temple. R

My heart tells of your word, ‘Seek my face.’

Your face, Lord, will I seek.

Hide not your face from me,

nor cast your servant away in displeasure.

You have been my helper, leave me not,

neither forsake me, O God of my salvation. R

From Psalm 27

A reading from the Second Letter of Paul to Timothy.

In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I solemnly urge you: proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is favourable or unfavourable; convince, rebuke, and encourage, with the utmost patience in teaching. For the time is coming when people will not put up with sound doctrine, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander away to myths. As for you, always be sober, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, carry out your ministry fully.

As for me, I am already being poured out as a libation, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. From now on there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

This is the word of the Lord.

2 Timothy 4.1–8

Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew.

Jesus said to the crowds: ‘You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot.

‘You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

‘Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfil. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.’

This is the Gospel of the Lord.

Matthew 5.13–19

Post Communion

God of truth,

whose Wisdom set her table

and invited us to eat the bread and drink the wine

of the kingdom:

help us to lay aside all foolishness

and to live and walk in the way of insight,

that we may come with Basil and Gregory

to the eternal feast of heaven;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

2 January

Munchin

Abbot

Ireland: Commemoration

If celebrated otherwise, Common of Religious

Munchin, a seventh-century monk, affectionately known as the wise, is honoured in Limerick and known as patron of the city. The ‘little monk’ inaugurated a tradition of prayer and study in a golden period of Irish Christianity and Celtic monastic life.

Collect

Source of all wisdom,

you so inspired your servant Munchin

that he became affectionately known as ‘The Wise’:

renew in your church the tradition of prayer and study,

that we may for ever honour you with heart, soul and mind;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

2 January

Seraphim

Monk of Sarov, Spiritual Guide

England, Scotland: Commemoration

If celebrated otherwise, Common of Religious

Born in 1759 at Kursk in Russia, Seraphim entered the Monastery of our Lady at Sarov near Moscow when he was twenty years old. He lived as a Solitary for over thirty years but his gifts as a staretz, or spiritual guide, became more widely-known until he found himself sharing his gift of healing spirit, soul and body with the thousands who made the pilgrimage to his monastery. The ‘Jesus Prayer’ formed the heart of his own devotional life and he stressed the need for all Christians to have an unceasing communion with the person of Jesus. He died on this day in 1833 and is revered in the Russian Orthodox Church as ‘an ikon of Orthodox Spirituality’.

2 January

Vedanayagam Samuel Azariah

Bishop in South India, Evangelist

England: Commemoration

If celebrated otherwise, Common of Bishops

Samuel Azariah was born in 1874 in a small village in South India, his father Thomas Vedanayagam being a simple village priest, and his mother Ellen having a deep love and understanding of the Scriptures. Samuel became a YMCA evangelist whilst still only nineteen, and secretary of the organization throughout South India a few years later. He saw that, for the Church in India to grow and attract ordinary Indians to the Christian faith, it had to have an indigenous leadership and reduce the strong western influences and almost totally white leadership that pervaded it. He was ordained priest at the age of thirty-five and bishop just three years later, his work moving from primary evangelism to forwarding his desire for more Indian clergy and the need to raise their educational standards. He was an avid ecumenist and was one of the first to see the importance to mission of a united Church. He died on 1 January 1945, just two years before the creation of a united Church of South India.

3 January

Morris Williams

Priest and Poet Wales: V

If celebrated otherwise, Common of Spiritual Writers

Morris Williams (usually known as ‘Nicander’, his bardic name) was born at Caernarvon in 1809. He was apprenticed to a carpenter. Once his literary and academic gifts became clear, Nicander was helped to enter King’s School, Chester, and Jesus College, Oxford, where he graduated in 1835. He was ordained in the same year, serving his first curacy at Holywell. In 1847 he was appointed perpetual curate of Amlwch, becoming rector of Llanrhuddlad in 1859. Nicander assisted with the revision of the Welsh version of the Book of Common Prayer and edited the 1847 edition of Llyfr yr Homiliau (The Book of Homilies). He was a pioneer of the Tractarian movement in the diocese of Bangor and used his considerable poetic gifts to promote its ideals. Some of the poems from his collection Y Flwyddyn Eglwysig (The Church Year), published in 1843, were adapted into hymns which had a profound impact on the spiritual lives of Welsh-speaking Anglicans. He died in 1874.

Collect

Lord of heaven and earth,

whose affection and love for us

inspired your servant Nicander

to praise the wonder of your unfailing grace:

grant that we may be faithful to the covenant

you made with us in Jesus Christ our Lord,

to whom with you and the Holy Spirit

be all honour and glory now and for ever.

6 January

The Epiphany

Gold or White

England: Principal Feast – Ireland: Principal Holy Day – Scotland, Wales: I

The subtitle in the Book of Common Prayer of this, one of the principal feasts of the Church, is ‘The Manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles’. This emphasizes that, from the moment of the incarnation, the good news of Jesus Christ is for all: Jew and Gentile, the wise and the simple, male and female. Nothing in the Greek text of the gospels indicates that the Magi were all male: even the idea that there were three and they were kings is a much later, non-scriptural, tradition. The date of this feast goes back to the tradition of the Eastern Church, which celebrated both the Nativity and the Baptism of Christ on 6 January, whilst the West celebrated the Nativity on 25 December. As often happens, the two dates merged into a beginning and an end of the same celebration. The Western Church adopted ‘the twelve days of Christmas’ climaxing on 5 January, the eve of Epiphany, or ‘Twelfth Night’. The implication by the fifth century was that this was the night on which the Magi arrived. The complications of dating became even more confused with the changing in the West from the Julian to the Gregorian Calendar, the Eastern Church refusing to play any part in such a radical change. So this day remains the chief day of celebrating the incarnation in Orthodox Churches.

Collect

O God,

who by the leading of a star

manifested your only Son to the peoples of the earth:

mercifully grant that we,

who know you now by faith,

may at last behold your glory face to face;

through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,

who is alive and reigns with you,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever.

A reading from the prophecy of Isaiah.

Arise, shine; for your light has come,

and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.

For darkness shall cover the earth,

and thick darkness the peoples;

but the Lord will arise upon you,

and his glory will appear over you.

Nations shall come to your light,

and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

Lift up your eyes and look around;

they all gather together, they come to you;

your sons shall come from far away,

and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses’ arms.

Then you shall see and be radiant;

your heart shall thrill and rejoice,

because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you,

the wealth of the nations shall come to you.

A multitude of camels shall cover you,

the young camels of Midian and Ephah;

all those from Sheba shall come.

They shall bring gold and frankincense,

and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord.

This is the word of the Lord.

Isaiah 60.1–6

Responsorial Psalm

R: [May your name remain for ever, for]

All the nations shall call you blessed, O God.

[Give the king your judgements, O God,

and your righteousness to the son of a king.

Then shall he judge your people righteously

and your poor with justice. R

May the mountains bring forth peace,

and the little hills righteousness for the people.

May he defend the poor among the people,

deliver the children of the needy and crush the oppressor. R

May he live as long as the sun and moon endure,

from one generation to another.

May he come down like rain upon the mown grass,

like the showers that water the earth. R

In his time shall righteousness flourish,

and abundance of peace

till the moon shall be no more. R

May his dominion extend from sea to sea

and from the River to the ends of the earth.

May his foes kneel before him

and his enemies lick the dust. R]

The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall pay tribute;

the kings of Sheba and Seba shall bring gifts.

All kings shall fall down before him;

all nations shall do him service. R

For he shall deliver the poor that cry out,

the needy and those who have no helper.

He shall have pity on the weak and poor;

he shall preserve the lives of the needy.

He shall redeem their lives from oppression and violence,

and dear shall their blood be in his sight. R

Long may he live;

unto him may be given gold from Sheba;

may prayer be made for him continually

and may they bless him all the day long. R

From Psalm 72

A reading from the Letter of Paul to the Ephesians.

This is the reason that I Paul am a prisoner for Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles – for surely you have already heard of the commission of God’s grace that was given me for you, and how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I wrote above in a few words, a reading of which will enable you to perceive my understanding of the mystery of Christ. In former generations this mystery was not made known to humankind, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: that is, the Gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

Of this gospel I have become a servant according to the gift of God’s grace that was given me by the working of his power. Although I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given to me to bring to the Gentiles the news of the boundless riches of Christ, and to make everyone see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things; so that through the church the wisdom of God in its rich variety might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was in accordance with the eternal purpose that he has carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have access to God in boldness and confidence through faith in him.

This is the word of the Lord.

Ephesians 3.1–12

Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew.

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, ‘Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.’ When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:

“And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;

for from you shall come a ruler

who is to shepherd my people Israel.” ’

Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, ‘Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.’ When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

This is the Gospel of the Lord.

Matthew 2.1–12

Post Communion

Lord God,

the bright splendour whom the nations seek:

may we who with the wise men have been drawn by your light

discern the glory of your presence in your Son,

the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ our Lord.

10 January

William Laud

Archbishop of Canterbury

England, Scotland: Commemoration – Wales: V

If celebrated otherwise, Common of Martyrs

William Laud was appointed Archbishop of Canterbury by his friend and ecclesiastical ally, King Charles, in 1633. The aim of both Archbishop and Monarch was to counter the reforming Puritan movement, which emphasized personal and ecclesial austerity as a means of sustaining conversion. Laud was a High Churchman who felt that the majesty of God should be reflected in the liturgy of the church and rigorously set about ensuring that its ministers should practise what he preached. His relentless approach left no room for variance of practice – but neither did the Puritans – and the latter had the upper hand in Parliament and eventually impeached him in 1640 and imprisoned him in the Tower of London. His friend the king did not – or could not – come to his assistance and he was beheaded on this day in 1645.

Collect (Wales)

God,

by whose grace your servant William

professed the Christian faith

and in that profession came to die:

grant that we who have been baptized into your Church

may prove steadfast in faith

and share with him the crown of glory;

through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,

to whom with you and the Holy Spirit

be all honour and glory now and for ever.

11 January

David of Scotland

King of Scots

Scotland: Commemoration

If celebrated otherwise, Common of any Saint

The fourth son of Queen Margaret of Scotland, David succeeded his brothers as king, and continued their policy of bringing Scotland closer to Norman England in its secular and religious institutions. In place of decaying Culdee foundations such as those in St Andrews, Melrose and Jedburgh, he introduced monastic communities of Roman observance, favouring reforming orders. These exercised a powerful, civilizing influence and became centres of education, care for the sick and relief of the poor. He founded royal burghs and promoted a feudal system in the Norman style. He died in 1153.

11 January

Rhys Prichard, William Williams, Isaac Williams

Rhys Prichard, Priest and Poet, William Williams, Deacon and Poet,

Isaac Williams, Priest and Poet

Wales: V

If celebrated otherwise, Common of Spiritual Writers

Rhys Prichard (known as ‘Yr Hen Ficer’ – ‘The Old Vicar’) was probably born near Llandovery in 1579. He graduated from Jesus College, Oxford, in 1603, a year after his ordination to the priesthood, and was appointed vicar of Llandovery. In 1626 he became chancellor of St Davids Cathedral. Prichard was one of the most effective communicators of the Christian message in Welsh history. His teachings were contained in easily remembered verses in colloquial Carmarthenshire Welsh. After Prichard’s death his poems were collected by Stephen Hughes in Cannwyll y Cymry (The Welshmen’s Candle). The impact of this often-reprinted volume on Welsh Christianity has been compared with that of Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress. He died in 1644 and was buried in the churchyard of the Cathedral.

William Williams was born at Llanfair-ar-y-bryn, Carmarthenshire, in 1717. He underwent a conversion while listening to Howell Harris preach, was ordained deacon and served as curate of Llanwrtyd. His Methodist leanings became clear and the Bishop of St Davids refused to ordain him priest. Between 1744 and 1787 he published collections of hymns which played a major part in guiding and strengthening the development of the Methodist revival. They provided a communal expression of intensely personal spiritual experience, and established him as the greatest Welsh hymn-writer. He also wrote two long religious poems and several prose works, including a guide to Christian marriage. He died in 1791.

Isaac Williams was born at Cwmcynfelyn, near Aberystwyth, in 1802, and educated at Trinity College, Oxford. He was ordained in 1829, and was curate to John Henry Newman. He became a leading figure in the Oxford Movement, contributing to the Tracts for the Times, and helping build the first Tractarian church in Wales, at Llangorwen, In 1841 he left Oxford and became a country curate at Bisley and then Stinchcombe, where he died in 1865. He was the author of a considerable amount of devotional poetry, including The Cathedral, The Baptistery and The Altar, and some of his hymns are still sung. He was a gentle, quiet, reserved man, committed to prayer and to the pastoral care of his parishes.

Collect

O God our light and our redeemer,

our guardian and our guide,

shed your light upon us and hear us when we call:

and as you led Rhys, William and Isaac

like pilgrims through a barren land,

so lead us to that place where, with them,

we may give you songs and praises for ever;

through Jesus Christ our Lord,

to whom with you and the Holy Spirit

be all honour and glory now and for ever.

11 January

Mary Slessor

Missionary in West Africa

England: Commemoration

If celebrated otherwise, Common of Missionaries

Mary Slessor was born into a working-class, Presbyterian family in Aberdeen in 1848. As a child in Dundee, she was enthralled by stories of missions in Africa. For years, she read diligently as she worked in the mills, and in 1875, she was accepted as a teacher for the mission in Calabar, Nigeria. Her fluency in the local language, physical resilience and lack of pretension endeared her to those to whom she ministered. She adopted unwanted children, particularly twins who would otherwise, according to local superstition, have been put to death. She was influential in organizing trade and in settling disputes, contributing much to the development of the Okoyong people with whom she later settled. She died, still in Africa, on this day in 1915.

12 January

Aelred of Hexham

White

Abbot of Rievaulx

England: Lesser Festival

Aelred was born at Hexham in 1109 and he entered the Cistercian Order at Rievaulx in about 1133, after spending some years in the court of King David of Scotland. He became Abbot of Revesby in 1143 and returned to Rievaulx four years later to become abbot and to spend the remainder of his life. He was profoundly influential through his spiritual writings, which he began at the request of Bernard of Clairvaux, the two having a similar approach to the spiritual life. Because of this, Aelred was often called ‘the Bernard of the North’. He died on this day at Rievaulx in 1167.

Collect

Almighty God,

who endowed Aelred the abbot

with the gift of Christian friendship

and the wisdom to lead others in the way of holiness:

grant to your people that same spirit of mutual affection,

so that, in loving one another,

we may know the love of Christ

and rejoice in the eternal possession

of your supreme goodness;

through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,

who is alive and reigns with you,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever.

A reading from the book Ecclesiasticus.

Whoever fears the Lord will do this,

and whoever holds to the law will obtain wisdom.

She will come to meet him like a mother,

and like a young bride she will welcome him.

She will feed him with the bread of learning,

and give him the water of wisdom to drink.

He will lean on her and not fall,

and he will rely on her and not be put to shame.

She will exalt him above his neighbours,

and will open his mouth in the midst of the assembly.

He will find gladness and a crown of rejoicing,

and will inherit an everlasting name.

This is the word of the Lord.

Ecclesiasticus 15.1–6

Responsorial Psalm

R: May we drink of the water of wisdom

[and be fed with the bread of life].

O Lord, my heart is not proud;

my eyes are not raised in haughty looks.

I do not occupy myself with great matters,

with things that are too high for me. R

But I have quieted and stilled my soul,

like a weaned child on its mother’s breast;

so my soul is quieted within me. R

O Israel, trust in the Lord,

from this time forth for evermore. R

Psalm 131

A reading from the Letter of Paul to the Philippians.

Whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.

This is the word of the Lord.

Philippians 3.7–14

Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke.

Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

‘Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit; be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them.’

This is the Gospel of the Lord.

Luke 12.32–37

Post Communion

Merciful God,

who gave such grace to your servant Aelred

that he served you with singleness of heart

and loved you above all things:

help us, whose communion with you

has been renewed in this sacrament,

to forsake all that holds us back from following Christ

and to grow into his likeness from glory to glory;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

12 January

Benedict Biscop

Abbot of Wearmouth, Scholar

England: Commemoration

If celebrated otherwise, Common of Religious

Born a Northumbrian nobleman in 628, Benedict Biscop served at the court of King Oswiu of Northumbria until he joined Wilfrid of York on his pilgrimage to Rome to the tombs of the apostles. He made a second trip accompanied by the King’s son and on his way home was clothed a monk at the Benedictine house of Lérins. It was on his third trip to Rome that he met and returned to England with Theodore, the newly-appointed Archbishop of Canterbury, who made him Abbot of St Augustine’s in 669. Five years later, he was permitted to make his own foundation at Wearmouth, which he had built in the Roman style and endowed with a huge library. He encouraged the development of the Uncial script which also acted as a vehicle for the propagation of the Roman Rite. His own scholarship, and that promoted through the religious houses he founded, played a large part in the acceptance of the primacy of Roman over Celtic practice throughout northern England. Benedict Biscop died on this day in 689.

13 January

Hilary

White

Bishop of Poitiers, Teacher of the Faith

England: Lesser Festival – Wales: V

14 January – Scotland: Commemoration

Hilary was born at Poitiers in about the year 315; his family, though pagan, gave him an excellent education and he was proficient in Latin and Greek. After extensive personal study he was baptized, he tells us, at the age of thirty. He was elected bishop of the city in the year 350 and immediately became caught up in the Arian controversy, himself asserting that mortals of this world were created to practise moral virtues thus reflecting the one in whose image they are made, the eternal and creative first cause, God, and that Jesus Christ, the incarnate Son of God, is of one substance with the Father. His learning and oratory led to his title of ‘Athanasius of the West’. He was known as a gentle, kind friend to all, even though his writings seemed severe at times. He died in the year 367.

Collect

Everlasting God,

whose servant Hilary

steadfastly confessed your Son Jesus Christ

to be both human and divine:

grant us his gentle courtesy

to bring to all the message of redemption

in the incarnate Christ,

who is alive and reigns with you,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever.

A reading from the prophecy of Isaiah.

Listen, and hear my voice;

Pay attention, and hear my speech.

Do those who plough for sowing plough continually?

Do they continually open and harrow their ground?

When they have levelled its surface,

do they not scatter dill, sow cummin,

and plant wheat in rows

and barley in its proper place,

and spelt as the border?

For they are well instructed;

their God teaches them.

Dill is not threshed with a threshing-sledge,

nor is a cartwheel rolled over cummin;

but dill is beaten out with a stick,

and cummin with a rod.

Grain is crushed for bread,

but one does not thresh it for ever;

one drives the cartwheel and horses over it,

but does not pulverize it.

This also comes from the Lord of hosts;

he is wonderful in counsel,

and excellent in wisdom.

This is the word of the Lord.

Isaiah 28.23–29

Responsorial Psalm

R: Send us your light and truth, O God,

[that they May lead us back to you].

Give judgement for me, O God,

and defend my cause against an ungodly people;

deliver me from the deceitful and the wicked.

For you are the God of my refuge; R

O send out your light and your truth, that they may lead me,

and bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling,

that I may go to the altar of God, to the God of my joy and gladness;

and on the lyre I will give thanks to you, O God my God. R

Why are you so full of heaviness, O my soul,

and why are you so disquieted within me?

O put your trust in God;

for I will yet give him thanks,

who is the help of my countenance, and my God. R

From Psalm 43

A reading from the First Letter of John.

Children, it is the last hour! As you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. From this we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they did not belong to us; for if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. But by going out they made it plain that none of them belongs to us. But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and all of you have knowledge.

I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and you know that no lie comes from the truth. Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father; everyone who confesses the Son has the Father also. Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you will abide in the Son and in the Father. And this is what he has promised us, eternal life.

This is the word of the Lord.

1 John 2.18–25

Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John.

The Pharisees said to Jesus, ‘Who are you?’ Jesus said to them, ‘Why do I speak to you at all? I have much to say about you and much to condemn; but the one who sent me is true, and I declare to the world what I have heard from him.’ They did not understand that he was speaking to them about the Father. So Jesus said, ‘When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will realize that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own, but I speak these things as the Father instructed me. And the one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what is pleasing to him.’ As he was saying these things, many believed in him.

Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, ‘If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.’

This is the Gospel of the Lord.

John 8.25–32

Post Communion

God of truth,

whose Wisdom set her table

and invited us to eat the bread and drink the wine

of the kingdom:

help us to lay aside all foolishness

and to live and walk in the way of insight,

that we may come with Hilary

to the eternal feast of heaven;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

13 January

Kentigern (Mungo)

White

Missionary Bishop in Strathclyde and Cumbria

England: Commemoration – Scotland: IV

14 January – Wales: V

If celebrated otherwise, Common of Missionaries

Kentigern, also known affectionately as Mungo, which means ‘darling’, is reputed to have been the grandson of a British prince in southern Scotland and to have attended a monastic school at Culross. The story goes that he became a missionary to the Britons living in Strathclyde and was elected their bishop. Following the persecution of Christians, he fled to Wales, but eventually returned to Strathclyde where he continued his work of evangelism. He died in the year 603 and his tomb is in St Mungo’s Cathedral in Glasgow.

Collect (Wales)

Almighty and everlasting God,

who called your servant Kentigern

to preach the gospel to the people of Britain:

raise up in this and every land

heralds and evangelists of your kingdom,

that your Church may make known

the immeasurable riches of your Son

our Saviour Jesus Christ,

who is alive and reigns with you

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever.

13 January

George Fox

Founder of the Society of Friends (the Quakers)

England: Commemoration

If celebrated otherwise, Common of any Saint

George Fox was born at Fenny Drayton in Leicestershire in 1624, the son of a weaver, and was himself apprenticed to a shoe-maker. He became something of a wayfarer from 1643 for about three years, loosening all ties with his family and friends. The ‘Inner Light of the Living Christ’ became his watchword in 1646 and he began to preach that the truth could only be found through the Inner Voice speaking directly to each soul. His society of ‘The Friends of Truth’ was formed at about this time, clearly a protest against the authoritarianism of the Presbyterian system, and many believers joined. Their practice of welcoming God into the soul, often whilst in a state of trance, which caused much body movement, led to Gervase Bennet nicknaming them the ‘Quakers’ in 1650. Although meant as a term of abuse, it quickly became a name they themselves adopted. Fox spent several spells in gaol because of his determination to preach where he would and what he willed; he also made many missionary journeys around England, on the continent, and to North America and the West Indies. He had a charismatic personality combined with excellent organizational abilities, which proved a solid foundation for ensuring the continuance of his beliefs and practices. He died on this day in 1691.

14 January

Hilary

Bishop of Poitiers, Teacher of the Faith

Scotland: Commemoration

See 13 January

14 January

Kentigern (Mungo)

Missionary Bishop in Strathclyde and Cumbria

Wales: V

See 13 January

17 January

Antony of Egypt

White

Hermit, Abbot

England: Lesser Festival – Scotland: Commemoration – Wales: V

Born in about the year 251, Antony heard the gospel message, ‘If you would be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.’ He was twenty years old and rich, following the death of his parents, but he did as the gospel instructed and went to live in the desert, living an austere life of manual work, charity and prayer. His many spiritual struggles left him both wise and sensible and he became a spiritual guide for many who flocked to him. His simple rule of personal discipline and prayer was taken up and spread throughout Christendom. He died peacefully in the desert in the year 356, asking that he be buried secretly, so that his person might be hidden in death as in life.

Collect

Most gracious God,

who called your servant Antony to sell all that he had

and to serve you in the solitude of the desert:

by his example may we learn to deny ourselves

and to love you before all things;

through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,

who is alive and reigns with you,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever.

A reading from the First Book of the Kings.

The word of the Lord came to Elijah, saying, ‘Go from here and turn eastward, and hide yourself by the Wadi Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. You shall drink from the wadi, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.’ So he went and did according to the word of the Lord; he went and lived by the Wadi Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening; and he drank from the wadi.

This is the word of the Lord.

1 Kings 17.2–6

Responsorial Psalm

R: Call upon me, Lord, and I will answer you;

[lift me up, for you know my name].

Because you have made the Lord your refuge

and the Most High your stronghold,

There shall no evil happen to you,

neither shall any plague come near your tent. R

For he shall give his angels charge over you,

to keep you in all your ways.

They shall bear you in their hands,

lest you dash your foot against a stone. R

You shall tread upon the lion and adder;

the young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.

Because they have set their love upon me, therefore will I deliver them;

I will lift them up, because they know my name. R

They will call upon me and I will answer them;

I am with them in trouble,

I will deliver them and bring them to honour.

With long life will I satisfy them

and show them my salvation. R

From Psalm 91

A reading from the Letter of Paul to the Philippians.

Whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.

This is the word of the Lord.

Philippians 3.7–14

Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew.

Someone came to Jesus and said, ‘Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?’ And he said to him, ‘Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.’ He said to him, ‘Which ones?’ And Jesus said, ‘You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; Honour your father and mother; also, You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ The young man said to him, ‘I have kept all these; what do I still lack?’ Jesus said to him, ‘If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.’ When the young man heard this word, he went away grieving, for he had many possessions.

Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Truly I tell you, it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.’ When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astounded and said, ‘Then who can be saved?’ But Jesus looked at them and said, ‘For mortals it is impossible, but for God all things are possible.’

This is the Gospel of the Lord.

Matthew 19.16–26

Post Communion

Merciful God,

who gave such grace to your servant Antony

that he served you with singleness of heart

and loved you above all things:

help us, whose communion with you

has been renewed in this sacrament,

to forsake all that holds us back from following Christ

and to grow into his likeness from glory to glory;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

17 January

Charles Gore

Bishop, Founder of the Community of the Resurrection

England: Commemoration

If celebrated otherwise, Common of Religious

Born in 1835, Gore became one of the most influential of Anglican theologians. He helped reconcile the Church to some aspects of biblical criticism and scientific discovery, yet was Catholic in his interpretation of the faith and sacraments. He was also concerned to bring Catholic principles to bear on social problems. As an Oxford don and then as a Canon of Westminster, he was renowned for his preaching. In the 1890s, he was the founder – and first leader – of the Community of the Resurrection, which in later years settled at Mirfield in Yorkshire. From 1902, he was successively bishop of Worcester, Birmingham and Oxford, retiring in 1919. He was much mourned at his death on this day in 1932.

18 January

The Confession of Peter

White

Scotland: Commemoration – Wales: IV

If celebrated otherwise, Common of Apostles, or see 29 June

The beginning of the ministry of the Apostle Peter at Rome has been commemorated in that city from ancient times. The feast, known as the ‘Chair of St Peter’, is a reminder of the chair or cathedra on which a bishop sits and teaches. The traditional readings for the day include Peter’s acclamation of Jesus, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God’ (Matthew 16.16), a confession of faith which has given its name to this commemoration. Since 29 June may be observed as the feast of both Peter and Paul, this separate day enables Peter to be commemorated alone, and mirrors the remembrance of Paul a week later.

These two days, the Confession of Peter and the Conversion of Paul, bracket the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. As Paul’s conversion reminds us that we are united in a call to proclaim Jesus among the nations, so Peter’s confession reminds us that we are united in proclaiming the divine revelation of Jesus Christ ‘the Son of the living God’.

Collect

Almighty God,

who inspired your apostle Peter

to confess Jesus as Christ

and Son of the living God:

build up your Church upon this rock,

that in unity and peace

it may proclaim the one truth and follow the one Lord,

your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ,

who is alive and reigns with you

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever.

18 January

Amy Carmichael

Founder of the Dohnavur Fellowship, Spiritual Writer

England: Commemoration

Amy Carmichael was born on 16 December 1867 into a Presbyterian family in County Down in Ireland. In her late teens she moved to Belfast, where she began a Sunday morning class for girls who worked in the mills. She went on to similar work in Manchester, England, before feeling called to work in other parts of the world. Her health was poor, however, and so her wishes were frustrated for some years. Eventually she worked in Japan, and then in India, settling in Dohnavur in Tamil Nadur in 1900. There she founded a fellowship dedicated to giving a loving home to destitute children. She was particularly concerned with young girls who were in danger of being pushed into prostitution, and would travel long distances to rescue a child. Out of respect for the local culture, she always wore Indian dress. She wrote many books about her work and on spiritual themes, and founded the Sisters of the Common Life in 1916 as a spiritual support group. Her work continued after her death and has brought hope and stability to many distressed children. Although an invalid for much of her later years, she remained in India for the rest of her life, dying on this day in 1951.

18–25 January

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

The Church Union Octave of prayer for Christian unity was first kept in 1908, beginning on the feast of the Chair of St Peter at Rome. It was instituted by a group of Anglican High Churchmen who, throughout the week, celebrated the Eucharist each day for the visible reunion of the Church, seeing Rome as the central See of Christendom. Their prayers reached a climax with the celebration of the feast of the Conversion of St Paul, on 25 January 1908.

From that beginning, the observance of the Week of Prayer has grown as the ecumenical movement grew through the twentieth century. It is now widely kept throughout the Church, with Christians of all denominations coming together to pray that, as our Lord prayed, we might all be one.

19 January

Wulfstan

White

Bishop of Worcester

England: Lesser Festival

Born in about the year 1009, Wulfstan’s first twenty-five years after his ordination was spent in the monastery at Worcester. Against his will, he was elected Bishop of Worcester in 1062 but went on to prove an able administrator and pastor. He carefully and gently nurtured both church and state through the transition from Saxon to Norman rule. He died at Worcester on this day in the year 1095.

Collect

Lord God,

who raised up Wulfstan to be a bishop among your people

and a leader of your Church:

help us, after his example,

to live simply,

to work diligently

and to make your kingdom known;

through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,

who is alive and reigns with you,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever.

A reading from the First Book of Samuel.

The Lord said to Samuel, ‘How long will you grieve over Saul? I have rejected him from being king over Israel. Fill your horn with oil and set out; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.’

6 When Jesse and his sons came, Samuel looked on Eliab and thought, ‘Surely the Lord’s anointed is now before the Lord.’ But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.’ Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. He said, ‘Neither has the Lord chosen this one.’ Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, ‘Neither has the Lord chosen this one.’ Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, and Samuel said to Jesse, ‘The Lord has not chosen any of these.’

Samuel said to Jesse, ‘Are all your sons here?’ And he said, ‘There remains yet the youngest, but he is keeping the sheep.’ And Samuel said to Jesse, ‘Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here.’ He sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome. The Lord said, ‘Rise and anoint him; for this is the one.’ Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the presence of his brothers; and the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward. Samuel then set out and went to Ramah.

This is the word of the Lord.

1 Samuel 16.1, 6–13

Responsorial Psalm

R: Blessed is the servant of the Lord,

[the one who is faithful and wise].

The Lord said to my lord, ‘Sit at my right hand,

until I make your enemies your footstool.’

May the Lord stretch forth the sceptre of your power;

rule from Zion in the midst of your enemies. R

‘Noble are you on this day of your birth;

on the holy mountain, from the womb of the dawn

the dew of your new birth is upon you.’ R

The Lord has sworn and will not retract:

‘You are a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.’

The king at your right hand, O Lord,

shall smite down kings in the day of his wrath.

In all his majesty, he shall judge among the nations. R

From Psalm 110

A reading from the First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians.

Think of us in this way, as servants of Christ and stewards of God’s mysteries. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy. But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. I do not even judge myself. I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore do not pronounce judgement before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive commendation from God.

This is the word of the Lord.

1 Corinthians 4.1–5

Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew.

Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.

‘Who then is the faithful and wise slave, whom his master has put in charge of his household, to give the other slaves their allowance of food at the proper time? Blessed is that slave whom his master will find at work when he arrives.’

This is the Gospel of the Lord.

Matthew 24.42–46

Post Communion

God, shepherd of your people,

whose servant Wulfstan revealed the loving service of Christ

in his ministry as a pastor of your people:

by this eucharist in which we share

awaken within us the love of Christ

and keep us faithful to our Christian calling;

through him who laid down his life for us,

but is alive and reigns with you, now and for ever.

20 January

Richard Rolle of Hampole

Spiritual Writer

England: Commemoration

If celebrated otherwise, Common of Spiritual Writers

Richard Rolle was born in about the year 1300 in Thornton in Yorkshire, where he first began to live the hermit life at the age of eighteen, having broken off his education at the University of Oxford. After moving his hermitage to several other sites, he finally settled close to the Cistercian nuns at Hampole, where he undertook much of his prolific writing on mysticism and asceticism. He wrote in Latin but also produced many texts directly in English and even in the Northumbrian dialect. His writings were widely influential and he was venerated for at least three hundred years after his death on this day in the year 1349.

21 January

Agnes

Red

Child Martyr at Rome

England: Lesser Festival – Scotland: Commemoration – Wales: V

Agnes is one of the most well-known and widely venerated of the early Roman martyrs, perhaps because of the expression of mature resilience and sheer bravery in a girl of thirteen. Agnes is reputed to have refused an arranged marriage because of her total dedication to Christ and stated that she preferred even death of the body to the death of her consecrated virginity. The growing veneration for the state of consecrated virginity at this time, combined with the last major Roman persecution under the emperor Diocletian, climaxing in an innocent virgin-child willingly shedding her blood for Christ, placed her at the forefront of veneration almost from the moment the persecution ended. She is believed to have died in the year 304 and her feast has ever since been celebrated on this day.

Collect

Eternal God, shepherd of your sheep,

whose child Agnes was strengthened to bear witness

in her living and her dying

to the true love of her redeemer:

grant us the power to understand, with all your saints,

what is the breadth and length and height and depth

and to know the love that surpasses knowledge,

even Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,

who is alive and reigns with you,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever.

A reading from the book Ecclesiasticus.

I give you thanks, O Lord and King,

and praise you, O God my Saviour.

I give thanks to your name,

for you have been my protector and helper

and have delivered me from destruction

and from the trap laid by a slanderous tongue,

from lips that fabricate lies.

In the face of my adversaries

you have been my helper and delivered me,

in the greatness of your mercy and of your name,

from grinding teeth about to devour me,

from the hand of those seeking my life,

from the many troubles I endured.

This is the word of the Lord.

Ecclesiasticus 51.1–3

Responsorial Psalm

R: Your name, O God, will be remembered

[from one generation to another].

Hear, O daughter; consider and incline your ear;

forget your own people and your father’s house.

So shall the king have pleasure in your beauty;

he is your lord, so do him honour. R

The people of Tyre shall bring you gifts;

the richest of the people shall seek your favour.

The king’s daughter is all glorious within;

her clothing is embroidered cloth of gold. R

She shall be brought to the king in raiment of needlework;

after her the virgins that are her companions.

With joy and gladness shall they be brought

and enter into the palace of the king. R

From Psalm 45

A reading from the Revelation to John.

One of the elders addressed me, saying, ‘Who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from?’ I said to him, ‘Sir, you are the one that knows.’ Then he said to me, ‘These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

‘For this reason they are before the throne of God,

and worship him day and night within his temple,

and the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them.

‘They will hunger no more, and thirst no more;

the sun will not strike them,

nor any scorching heat;

for the Lamb at the centre of the throne will be their shepherd,

and he will guide them to springs of the water of life,

and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’

This is the word of the Lord.

Revelation 7.13–end

Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew.

The disciples came to Jesus and asked, ‘Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ He called a child, whom he put among them, and said, ‘Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.

‘If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were fastened around your neck and you were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world because of stumbling blocks! Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to the one by whom the stumbling block comes!’

This is the Gospel of the Lord.

Matthew 18.1–7

Post Communion

Eternal God,

who gave us this holy meal

in which we have celebrated the glory of the cross

and the victory of your martyr Agnes:

by our communion with Christ

in his saving death and resurrection,

give us with all your saints the courage to conquer evil

and so to share the fruit of the tree of life;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

22 January

Vincent of Saragossa

Deacon, first Martyr of Spain

England: Commemoration

If celebrated otherwise, Common of Martyrs

Vincent was born in Saragossa in Aragon in the latter part of the third century and was ordained to the diaconate by Valerian, his bishop in that city. When the persecution under Diocletian began, both men were brought before the Roman governor but, because Valerian stammered badly, he relied on Vincent to speak for them both. Vincent spoke eloquently for both his bishop and his church, proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ and condemning paganism. He so angered the governor that he was immediately condemned to a painful death, reputedly on the gridiron. Thus he lived and gave his life in the tradition of Stephen, the first martyr and also a deacon; he died in the year 304 and his feast has been celebrated on this day since the persecutions ended in 312.

23 January

Francis de Sales

Bishop of Geneva, Teacher of the Faith

Wales: V

See 24 January

24 January

Cadoc

Abbot

Wales: V

If celebrated otherwise, Common of Religious

Cadoc was born of royal parentage about the year 497, and was educated at the monastic school of Tathan at Caerwent (Gwent). He established a monastery at Llancarfan, in the Vale of Glamorgan, which soon became famous. The twelfth century Life of St Cadoc tells us: ‘There eagerly flowed together, from various districts of the whole of Britannia, very many clerics to St Cadoc, like rivers to the sea, that they might attain to imitate his wisdom and practice; for he always welcomed eagerly all, who steadily toiled in the services of God and paid heed to the divine scriptures.’ Cadoc made visits to Ireland, to study in the monastery of Lismor, and there was a frequent interchange between Llancarfan and Irish monasteries. With the coming of the Yellow Plague in the year 547, Cadoc fled to Brittany and established churches there. He returned to Llancarfan to rule as abbot-king of Glamorgan; and in his old age retired to Beneventum, probably near Brecon. There in the year 577 he was murdered by a soldier entering the church.

Collect

Almighty God,

who called Cadoc to proclaim the gospel to this nation:

give us, your servants, such faith and power of love

that, as we rejoice in his triumph,

we may profit by his example;

through Jesus Christ our Lord,

to whom with you and the Holy Spirit

be all honour and glory

now and for ever.

24 January

Francis de Sales

White

Bishop of Geneva, Teacher of the Faith

England: Lesser Festival – Scotland: Commemoration

23 January – Wales: V

Francis de Sales was born in 1567 in the castle at Sales in Savoy. He was educated in Paris and Padua, first as a legal advocate and then as a priest. His preaching against Calvinism began in 1593 to win back the Chablais to Roman Catholicism, and in 1599 he was appointed Bishop-Coadjutor of Geneva. He moved to Annecy, from where he administered his diocese when he became the diocesan bishop in 1602. In his preaching and writings, particularly his book Introduction to the Devout Life, Francis concentrated on putting prayer and meditation within the reach of all Christians. He died at Lyons on 28 December 1622 and his body was translated to Annecy on this day in 1623.

Collect

Holy God,

who called your bishop Francis de Sales

to bring many to Christ through his devout life

and to renew your Church with patience and understanding:

grant that we may, by word and example,

reflect your gentleness and love to all we meet;

through Jesus Christ our Saviour,

who is alive and reigns with you,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever.

A reading from the Book of Proverbs.

Happy are those who find wisdom,

and those who get understanding,

for her income is better than silver,

and her revenue better than gold.

She is more precious than jewels,

and nothing you desire can compare with her.

Long life is in her right hand;

in her left hand are riches and honour.

Her ways are ways of pleasantness,

and all her paths are peace.

She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her;

those who hold her fast are called happy.

This is the word of the Lord.

Proverbs 3.13–18

Responsorial Psalm

R: The heavens declare the glory of God,

[and the firmament proclaims his handiwork].

The law of the Lord is perfect,

reviving the soul;

the testimony of the Lord is sure

and gives wisdom to the simple. R

The statutes of the Lord are right

and rejoice the heart;

the commandment of the Lord is pure

and gives light to the eyes. R

The fear of the Lord is clean

and endures for ever;

the judgements of the Lord are true

and righteous altogether. R

More to be desired are they than gold,

more than much fine gold,

sweeter also than honey,

dripping from the honeycomb. R

From Psalm 19

A reading from the First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians.

When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come proclaiming the mystery of God to you in lofty words or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. And I came to you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. My speech and my proclamation were not with plausible words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God.

Yet among the mature we do speak wisdom, though it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to perish. But we speak God’s wisdom, secret and hidden, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But, as it is written, ‘What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the human heart conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him’ – these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.

This is the word of the Lord.

1 Corinthians 2.1–10

Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John.

Jesus said to Nicodemus, ‘God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgement, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.’

This is the Gospel of the Lord.

John 3.17–21

Post Communion

God of truth,

whose Wisdom set her table

and invited us to eat the bread and drink the wine

of the kingdom:

help us to lay aside all foolishness

and to live and walk in the way of insight,

that we may come with Francis de Sales

to the eternal feast of heaven;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

25 January

The Conversion of Paul

White

England, Ireland: Festival – Scotland: IV – Wales: II

The conversion of the anti-Christian zealot (in Hebrew known as Saul) to the apostle of Christ (called Paul in Greek), is clearly related in the reading from the Acts of the Apostles, but it has to be remembered that this was a beginning: it took some time for him to begin to understand that his call to preach – to Jew and to Gentile – the saving power of Jesus, the Son of God, was something that was a whole life’s journey for him. Paul says in his Letter to the Church in Galatia, ‘God set me apart before I was born and called me through his grace … Three years after [the Damascus Road conversion], I went up to Jerusalem.’ The preparation for this moment of his conversion was his whole life. This feast has been celebrated in the Church since the sixth century but became universal in the twelfth century.

Collect

Almighty God,

who caused the light of the gospel

to shine throughout the world

through the preaching of your servant Saint Paul:

grant that we who celebrate his wonderful conversion

may follow him in bearing witness to your truth;

through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,

who is alive and reigns with you,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever.

Jeremiah 1.4–10

Psalm 67

Acts 9.1–22

Matthew 19.27–end

or

Acts 9.1–22

Psalm 67

Galatians 1.11–16a

Matthew 19.27–end

A reading from the prophecy of Jeremiah.

Now the word of the Lord came to me saying,

‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,

and before you were born I consecrated you;

I appointed you a prophet to the nations.’

Then I said, ‘Ah, Lord God! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am

only a boy.’ But the Lord said to me,

‘Do not say, “I am only a boy”;

for you shall go to all to whom I send you,

and you shall speak whatever I command you.

Do not be afraid of them,

for I am with you to deliver you,

says the Lord.’

Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth; and the Lord said to me,

‘Now I have put my words in your mouth.

See, today I appoint you over nations and over kingdoms,

to pluck up and to pull down,

to destroy and to overthrow,

to build and to plant.’

This is the word of the Lord.

Jeremiah 1.4–10

Responsorial Psalm

R: Let the peoples praise you, O God,

[let all the peoples praise you].

God be gracious to us and bless us

and make his face to shine upon us,

That your way may be known upon earth,

your saving power among all nations. R

O let the nations rejoice and be glad,

for you will judge the peoples righteously

and govern the nations upon earth. R

Then shall the earth bring forth her increase,

and God, our own God, will bless us.

God will bless us,

and all the ends of the earth shall fear him. R

Psalm 67

A reading from the Acts of the Apostles.

Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. Now as he was going along and approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?’ He asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ The reply came, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But get up and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.’ The men who were travelling with him stood speechless because they heard the voice but saw no one. Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. For three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

Now there was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, ‘Ananias.’ He answered, ‘Here I am, Lord.’ The Lord said to him, ‘Get up and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul. At this moment he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.’ But Ananias answered, ‘Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints in Jerusalem; and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who invoke your name.’ But the Lord said to him, ‘Go, for he is an instrument whom I have chosen to bring my name before Gentiles and kings and before the people of Israel; I myself will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.’

So Ananias went and entered the house. He laid his hands on Saul and said, ‘Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on your way here, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.’ And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and his sight was restored. Then he got up and was baptized, and after taking some food, he regained his strength. For several days he was with the disciples in Damascus, and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, ‘He is the Son of God.’ All who heard him were amazed and said, ‘Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem among those who invoked this name? And has he not come here for the purpose of bringing them bound before the chief priests?’ Saul became increasingly more powerful and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Messiah.

This is the word of the Lord.

Acts 9.1–22

A reading from the Letter of Paul to the Galatians.

I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel that was proclaimed by me is not of human origin; for I did not receive it from a human source, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.

You have heard, no doubt, of my earlier life in Judaism. I was violently persecuting the church of God and was trying to destroy it. I advanced in Judaism beyond many among my people of the same age, for I was far more zealous for the traditions of my ancestors. But God, who had set me apart before I was born and called me through his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, so that I might proclaim him among the Gentiles.

This is the word of the Lord.

Galatians 1.11–16a

Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew.

Peter said to Jesus, ‘Look, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?’ Jesus said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man is seated on the throne of his glory, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold, and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.’

This is the Gospel of the Lord.

Matthew 19.27–end

Post Communion

Almighty God,

who on the day of Pentecost

sent your Holy Spirit to the apostles

with the wind from heaven and in tongues of flame,

filling them with joy and boldness to preach the gospel:

by the power of the same Spirit

strengthen us to witness to your truth

and to draw everyone to the fire of your love;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

26 January

Timothy and Titus

White

Companions of Paul

England: Lesser Festival – Scotland: Commemoration – Wales: IV

On the day following the Conversion of St Paul, the Church remembers his two companions, ‘partners and fellow-workers in God’s service’. Timothy, we are told, had a Jewish mother and a Greek father, whilst Titus was wholly Greek. It was because of Titus that Paul stood out against compulsory circumcision but, to avoid suspicion from other Jews, Timothy was circumcised. They are honoured in the Church for their devotion and faithfulness to the gospel.

Collect

Heavenly Father,

who sent your apostle Paul to preach the gospel,

and gave him Timothy and Titus

to be his companions in faith:

grant that our fellowship in the Holy Spirit

may bear witness to the name of Jesus,

who is alive and reigns with you,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever.

A reading from the prophecy of Isaiah.

The spirit of the Lord God is upon me,

because the Lord has anointed me;

he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed,

to bind up the broken-hearted,

to proclaim liberty to the captives,

and release to the prisoners;

to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour,

and the day of vengeance of our God;

to comfort all who mourn;

to provide for those who mourn in Zion –

to give them a garland instead of ashes,

the oil of gladness instead of mourning,

the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit.

This is the word of the Lord.

Isaiah 61.1–3a

Responsorial Psalm

R: The faithfulness of the Lord endures from generation to generation,

[his steadfast love is everlasting].

O be joyful in the Lord, all the earth;

serve the Lord with gladness

and come before his presence with a song. R

Know that the Lord is God;

it is he that has made us and we are his;

we are his people and the sheep of his pasture. R

Enter his gates with thanksgiving

and his courts with praise;

give thanks to him and bless his name. R

Psalm 100

A reading from the Second Letter of Paul to Timothy.

You, my child, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus; and what you have heard from me through many witnesses entrust to faithful people who will be able to teach others as well. Share in suffering like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving in the army gets entangled in everyday affairs; the soldier’s aim is to please the enlisting officer. And in the case of an athlete, no one is crowned without competing according to the rules. It is the farmer who does the work who ought to have the first share of the crops. Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in all things. Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David – that is my gospel.

This is the word of the Lord.

2 Timothy 2.1–8

Or:

A reading from the Letter of Paul to Titus.

Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God’s elect and the knowledge of the truth that is in accordance with godliness, in the hope of eternal life that God, who never lies, promised before the ages began – in due time he revealed his word through the proclamation with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Saviour:

To Titus, my loyal child in the faith we share: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Saviour. I left you behind in Crete for this reason, so that you should put in order what remained to be done, and should appoint elders in every town, as I directed you.

This is the word of the Lord.

Titus 1.1–5

Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke.

The Lord Jesus appointed seventy other disciples and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. He said to them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest. Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, “Peace to this house!” And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the labourer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; cure the sick who are there, and say to them, “The kingdom of God has come near to you.” ’

This is the Gospel of the Lord.

Luke 10.1–9

Post Communion

Holy Father,

who gathered us here around the table of your Son

to share this meal with the whole household of God:

in that new world where you reveal

the fullness of your peace,

gather people of every race and language

to share with Timothy and Titus and all your saints

in the eternal banquet of Jesus Christ our Lord.

27 January

John Chrysostom

Bishop of Constantinople, Teacher of the Faith

Scotland: Commemoration – Wales: V

See 13 September

28 January

Thomas Aquinas

White

Priest, Philosopher, Teacher of the Faith

England: Lesser Festival – Scotland: Commemoration – Wales: V

Thomas Aquinas has been described as the greatest thinker and teacher of the mediæval church. Born at Rocca Secca, near Aquino, in Italy, Thomas was educated first by the Benedictines at Monte Cassino and then at the University of Naples. Against his family’s wishes, he joined the mendicant Dominican Order of Preachers. His profound theological wisdom and capacity to impart this, as well in homilies as in hymns, along with his gentleness of spirit in dealing with all, earned him the title ‘the angelic doctor’. He died on 7 March 1274, en route to the Council of Lyons, and his feast has been celebrated on this day since 1970.

Collect

Eternal God,

who enriched your Church with the learning and holiness

of your servant Thomas Aquinas:

give to all who seek you

a humble mind and a pure heart

that they may know your Son Jesus Christ

as the way, the truth and the life;

who is alive and reigns with you,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever.

A reading from the Wisdom of Solomon.

I prayed, and understanding was given me;

I called on God, and the spirit of wisdom came to me.

I preferred her to sceptres and thrones,

and I accounted wealth as nothing in comparison with her.

Neither did I liken to her any priceless gem,

because all gold is but a little sand in her sight,

and silver will be accounted as clay before her.

I loved her more than health and beauty,

and I chose to have her rather than light,

because her radiance never ceases.

15 May God grant me to speak with judgement,

and to have thoughts worthy of what I have received;

for he is the guide even of wisdom

and the corrector of the wise.

For both we and our words are in his hand,

as are all understanding and skill in crafts.

This is the word of the Lord.

Wisdom 7.7–10, 15, 16

Responsorial Psalm

R: Let the words of my mouth,

O Lord, be acceptable in your sight.

The heavens are telling the glory of God

and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.

One day pours out its song to another

and one night unfolds knowledge to another. R

They have neither speech nor language

and their voices are not heard,

Yet their sound has gone out into all lands

and their words to the ends of the world. R

Keep your servant also from presumptuous sins

lest they get dominion over me;

so shall I be undefiled,

and innocent of great offence. R

From Psalm 19

A reading from the First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians.

As it is written, ‘What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the human heart conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him’ – these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For what human being knows what is truly human except the human spirit that is within? So also no one comprehends what is truly God’s except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the gifts bestowed on us by God. And we speak of these things in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual things to those who are spiritual.

Those who are unspiritual do not receive the gifts of God’s Spirit, for they are foolishness to them, and they are unable to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. Those who are spiritual discern all things, and they are themselves subject to no one else’s scrutiny.

‘For who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?’ But we have the mind of Christ.

This is the word of the Lord.

1 Corinthians 2.9–end

Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John.

Jesus said to his disciples, ‘I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.’

This is the Gospel of the Lord.

John 16.12–15

Post Communion

God of truth,

whose Wisdom set her table

and invited us to eat the bread and drink the wine

of the kingdom:

help us to lay aside all foolishness

and to live and walk in the way of insight,

that we may come with Thomas Aquinas

to the eternal feast of heaven;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

30 January

Charles

Red

King and Martyr

England: Lesser Festival – Scotland: Commemoration

Born in 1600, the second son of James, the First of England and Sixth of Scotland, Charles became heir apparent when he was twelve years old on the death of his elder brother. He succeeded to the throne in 1625, where he came up against the increasing power of an antagonistic Parliament. Combined with the religious puritanism which was prevalent, this made Charles staunch in his resistance to the power of either force in the land. He frequently dismissed sittings of Parliament and tried to enforce high-church Anglican practice on all, throughout both kingdoms of England and Scotland. Opposition resulted in civil war. After Charles’s imprisonment and trial, he was put to death on this day in 1649. A faithful member of the Church of England, catholic and reformed, he suffered and died for his beliefs.

Collect

King of kings and Lord of lords,

whose faithful servant Charles

prayed for those who persecuted him

and died in the living hope of your eternal kingdom:

grant us by your grace so to follow his example

that we may love and bless our enemies,

through the intercession of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ,

who is alive and reigns with you,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever.

A reading from the book Ecclesiasticus.

Woe to timid hearts and to slack hands,

and to the sinner who walks a double path!

Woe to the faint-hearted who have no trust!

Therefore they will have no shelter.

Woe to you who have lost your nerve!

What will you do when the Lord’s reckoning comes?

Those who fear the Lord do not disobey his words,

and those who love him keep his ways.

Those who fear the Lord seek to please him,

and those who love him are filled with his law.

Those who fear the Lord prepare their hearts,

and humble themselves before him.

This is the word of the Lord.

Ecclesiasticus 2.12–end

Responsorial Psalm

R: O Lord, save the king

[and answer us when we call upon you].

May the Lord hear you in the day of trouble,

the name of the God of Jacob defend you;

Send you help from his sanctuary

and strengthen you out of Zion. R

Remember all your offerings

and accept your burnt sacrifice;

Grant you your heart’s desire

and fulfil all your mind. R

Now I know that the Lord will save his anointed;

he will answer him from his holy heaven,

with the mighty strength of his right hand. R

Some put their trust in chariots and some in horses,

but we will call only on the name of the Lord our God.

They are brought down and fallen,

but we are risen and stand upright. R

From Psalm 20

A reading from the First Letter of Paul to Timothy.

Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life, to which you were called and for which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. In the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you to keep the commandment without spot or blame until the manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he will bring about at the right time – he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords. It is he alone who has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see; to him be honour and eternal dominion. Amen.

This is the word of the Lord.

1 Timothy 6.12–16

Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew.

Jesus called his disciples to him and said, ‘You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. It will not be so among you; but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave; just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.’

This is the Gospel of the Lord.

Matthew 20.25–28

Post Communion

God our redeemer,

whose Church was strengthened by the blood of your martyr Charles:

so bind us, in life and death, to Christ’s sacrifice

that our lives, broken and offered with his,

may carry his death and proclaim his resurrection in the world;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

31 January

Edan

Bishop

Ireland: Commemoration

If celebrated otherwise, Common of Bishops

This bishop, the founder of Ferns diocese in County Wexford, is variously named Edan or Aedan, or M’Aed oc (Mogue). The diocese has, from early years, had a close link with the Church in Wales and there was a traditional, though not chronological, spiritual relationship between David of Wales and Mogue of Ferns. He died on this day in the year 632.

Collect

God,

in the persons of your bishops Edan and David

you linked the young churches of Wales and Ireland:

help us to rejoice in the spiritual relationships

we enjoy in the fellowship of your church;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

31 January

Charles Mackenzie of Central Africa

Bishop, Missionary

Scotland: Commemoration

If celebrated otherwise, Common of Missionaries

The Universities’ Mission to Central Africa was formed in response to an appeal by David Livingstone. Charles Mackenzie was consecrated bishop in Cape Town in 1861 to lead this mission from South Africa up the Zambesi towards Lake Nyasa. The missionaries’ preaching of the gospel and their efforts to secure the release of slaves provoked opposition from native leaders and Portuguese colonists. Charles succumbed to illness and died only a year after his consecration, a man of transparent and humble Christian devotion.

31 January

John Bosco

Priest, Founder of the Salesian Teaching Order

England: Commemoration

If celebrated otherwise, Common of Pastors

Born in 1815 to a peasant family, John Bosco spent most of his life in the area of Turin in Italy. He had a particular call to help young men and pioneered new educational methods, for example, in rejecting corporal punishment. His work with homeless youths received the admiration even of anticlerical politicians and his promotion of vocational training, including evening classes and industrial schools, became a pattern for others to follow. To extend the work, he founded in 1859 a religious community, the Pious Society of St Francis de Sales, usually known as the Salesians. It grew rapidly and was well-established in several countries by the time of his death on this day in 1888.