READINGS: EASTER MONDAY III

Invitatory Psalm & BACK


Psalm 50: Hebrew English and BACK

לִבִּי וּבְשָׂרִי יְרַנְּנוּ - הַלְלוּ יָהּ — אֵל אֵל־חָי - הַלְלוּ יָהּ

Even Years: Acts 8:26-40 26 ἄγγελος δὲ κυρίου ἐλάλησεν πρὸς φίλιππον λέγων, ἀνάστηθι καὶ πορεύου κατὰ μεσημβρίαν ἐπὶ τὴν ὁδὸν τὴν καταβαίνουσαν ἀπὸ Ἰερουσαλὴμ εἰς γάζαν: αὕτη ἐστὶν ἔρημος. 27 καὶ ἀναστὰς ἐπορεύθη: καὶ ἰδοὺ ἀνὴρ αἰθίοψ εὐνοῦχος δυνάστης κανδάκης βασιλίσσης αἰθιόπων, ὃς ἦν ἐπὶ πάσης τῆς γάζης αὐτῆς, ὃς ἐληλύθει προσκυνήσων εἰς Ἰερουσαλήμ, 28 ἦν τε ὑποστρέφων καὶ καθήμενος ἐπὶ τοῦ ἅρματος αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀνεγίνωσκεν τὸν προφήτην ἠσαΐαν. 29 εἶπεν δὲ τὸ πνεῦμα τῷ φιλίππῳ, πρόσελθε καὶ κολλήθητι τῷ ἅρματι τούτῳ. 30 προσδραμὼν δὲ ὁ φίλιππος ἤκουσεν αὐτοῦ ἀναγινώσκοντος ἠσαΐαν τὸν προφήτην, καὶ εἶπεν, ἆρά γε γινώσκεις ἃ ἀναγινώσκεις; 31 ὁ δὲ εἶπεν, πῶς γὰρ ἂν δυναίμην ἐὰν μή τις ὁδηγήσει με; παρεκάλεσέν τε τὸν φίλιππον ἀναβάντα καθίσαι σὺν αὐτῷ. 32 ἡ δὲ περιοχὴ τῆς γραφῆς ἣν ἀνεγίνωσκεν ἦν αὕτη: ὡς πρόβατον ἐπὶ σφαγὴν ἤχθη, καὶ ὡς ἀμνὸς ἐναντίον τοῦ κείραντος αὐτὸν ἄφωνος, οὕτως οὐκ ἀνοίγει τὸ στόμα αὐτοῦ. 33 ἐν τῇ ταπεινώσει [αὐτοῦ] ἡ κρίσις αὐτοῦ ἤρθη: τὴν γενεὰν αὐτοῦ τίς διηγήσεται; ὅτι αἴρεται ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς ἡ ζωὴ αὐτοῦ. 34 ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ ὁ εὐνοῦχος τῷ φιλίππῳ εἶπεν, δέομαί σου, περὶ τίνος ὁ προφήτης λέγει τοῦτο; περὶ ἑαυτοῦ ἢ περὶ ἑτέρου τινός; 35 ἀνοίξας δὲ ὁ φίλιππος τὸ στόμα αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀρξάμενος ἀπὸ τῆς γραφῆς ταύτης εὐηγγελίσατο αὐτῷ τὸν Ἰησοῦν. 36 ὡς δὲ ἐπορεύοντο κατὰ τὴν ὁδόν, ἦλθον ἐπί τι ὕδωρ, καί φησιν ὁ εὐνοῦχος, ἰδοὺ ὕδωρ: τί κωλύει με βαπτισθῆναι; 37 38 καὶ ἐκέλευσεν στῆναι τὸ ἅρμα, καὶ κατέβησαν ἀμφότεροι εἰς τὸ ὕδωρ ὅ τε φίλιππος καὶ ὁ εὐνοῦχος, καὶ ἐβάπτισεν αὐτόν. 39 ὅτε δὲ ἀνέβησαν ἐκ τοῦ ὕδατος, πνεῦμα κυρίου ἥρπασεν τὸν φίλιππον, καὶ οὐκ εἶδεν αὐτὸν οὐκέτι ὁ εὐνοῦχος: ἐπορεύετο γὰρ τὴν ὁδὸν αὐτοῦ χαίρων. 40 φίλιππος δὲ εὑρέθη εἰς ἄζωτον, καὶ διερχόμενος εὐηγγελίζετο τὰς πόλεις πάσας ἕως τοῦ ἐλθεῖν αὐτὸν εἰς καισάρειαν.

Odd Years: Revelation 7:1-17 μετὰ τοῦτο εἶδον τέσσαρας ἀγγέλους ἑστῶτας ἐπὶ τὰς τέσσαρας γωνίας τῆς γῆς, κρατοῦντας τοὺς τέσσαρας ἀνέμους τῆς γῆς, ἵνα μὴ πνέῃ ἄνεμος ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς μήτε ἐπὶ τῆς θαλάσσης μήτε ἐπὶ πᾶν δένδρον. καὶ εἶδον ἄλλον ἄγγελον ἀναβαίνοντα ἀπὸ ἀνατολῆς ἡλίου, ἔχοντα σφραγῖδα θεοῦ ζῶντος, καὶ ἔκραξεν φωνῇ μεγάλῃ τοῖς τέσσαρσιν ἀγγέλοις οἷς ἐδόθη αὐτοῖς ἀδικῆσαι τὴν γῆν καὶ τὴν θάλασσαν, λέγων, μὴ ἀδικήσητε τὴν γῆν μήτε τὴν θάλασσαν μήτε τὰ δένδρα ἄχρι σφραγίσωμεν τοὺς δούλους τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν ἐπὶ τῶν μετώπων αὐτῶν. καὶ ἤκουσα τὸν ἀριθμὸν τῶν ἐσφραγισμένων, ἑκατὸν τεσσεράκοντα τέσσαρες χιλιάδες, ἐσφραγισμένοι ἐκ πάσης φυλῆς υἱῶν ἰσραήλ: ἐκ φυλῆς Ἰούδα δώδεκα χιλιάδες ἐσφραγισμένοι, ἐκ φυλῆς Ῥουβὴν δώδεκα χιλιάδες, ἐκ φυλῆς Γὰδ δώδεκα χιλιάδες, ἐκ φυλῆς Ἀσὴρ δώδεκα χιλιάδες, ἐκ φυλῆς Νεφθαλὶμ δώδεκα χιλιάδες, ἐκ φυλῆς Μανασσῆ δώδεκα χιλιάδες, ἐκ φυλῆς Συμεὼν δώδεκα χιλιάδες, ἐκ φυλῆς Λευὶ δώδεκα χιλιάδες, ἐκ φυλῆς Ἰσσαχὰρ δώδεκα χιλιάδες, ἐκ φυλῆς Ζαβουλὼν δώδεκα χιλιάδες, ἐκ φυλῆς Ἰωσὴφ δώδεκα χιλιάδες, ἐκ φυλῆς Βενιαμὶν δώδεκα χιλιάδες ἐσφραγισμένοι. μετὰ ταῦτα εἶδον, καὶ ἰδοὺ ὄχλος πολύς, ὃν ἀριθμῆσαι αὐτὸν οὐδεὶς ἐδύνατο, ἐκ παντὸς ἔθνους καὶ φυλῶν καὶ λαῶν καὶ γλωσσῶν, ἑστῶτες ἐνώπιον τοῦ θρόνου καὶ ἐνώπιον τοῦ ἀρνίου, περιβεβλημένους στολὰς λευκάς, καὶ φοίνικες ἐν ταῖς χερσὶν αὐτῶν: καὶ κράζουσιν φωνῇ μεγάλῃ λέγοντες, ἡ σωτηρία τῷ θεῷ ἡμῶν τῷ καθημένῳ ἐπὶ τῷ θρόνῳ καὶ τῷ ἀρνίῳ. καὶ πάντες οἱ ἄγγελοι εἱστήκεισαν κύκλῳ τοῦ θρόνου καὶ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων καὶ τῶν τεσσάρων ζῴων, καὶ ἔπεσαν ἐνώπιον τοῦ θρόνου ἐπὶ τὰ πρόσωπα αὐτῶν καὶ προσεκύνησαν τῷ θεῷ,  λέγοντες, ἀμήν: ἡ εὐλογία καὶ ἡ δόξα καὶ ἡ σοφία καὶ ἡ εὐχαριστία καὶ ἡ τιμὴ καὶ ἡ δύναμις καὶ ἡ ἰσχὺς τῷ θεῷ ἡμῶν εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων: ἀμήν. καὶ ἀπεκρίθη εἷς ἐκ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων λέγων μοι, οὗτοι οἱ περιβεβλημένοι τὰς στολὰς τὰς λευκὰς τίνες εἰσὶν καὶ πόθεν ἦλθον; καὶ εἴρηκα αὐτῷ, κύριέ μου, σὺ οἶδας. καὶ εἶπέν μοι, οὗτοί εἰσιν οἱ ἐρχόμενοι ἐκ τῆς θλίψεως τῆς μεγάλης, καὶ ἔπλυναν τὰς στολὰς αὐτῶν καὶ ἐλεύκαναν αὐτὰς ἐν τῷ αἵματι τοῦ ἀρνίου. διὰ τοῦτό εἰσιν ἐνώπιον τοῦ θρόνου τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ λατρεύουσιν αὐτῷ ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτὸς ἐν τῷ ναῷ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ὁ καθήμενος ἐπὶ τοῦ θρόνου σκηνώσει ἐπ' αὐτούς. οὐ πεινάσουσιν ἔτι οὐδὲ διψήσουσιν ἔτι, οὐδὲ μὴ πέσῃ ἐπ' αὐτοὺς ὁ ἥλιος οὐδὲ πᾶν καῦμα, ὅτι τὸ ἀρνίον τὸ ἀνὰ μέσον τοῦ θρόνου ποιμανεῖ αὐτούς, καὶ ὁδηγήσει αὐτοὺς ἐπὶ ζωῆς πηγὰς ὑδάτων: καὶ ἐξαλείψει ὁ θεὸς πᾶν δάκρυον ἐκ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν αὐτῶν.

Even Years: Clement of Alexandria, Pedagogue, Book 1:6, 26-27,30-31 (SC 70, 159161.167) Βαπτιζόμενοι φωτιζόμεθα, φωτιζόμενοι υἱοποιούμεθα, υἱοποιούμενοι τελειούμεθα, τελειούμενοι ἀπαθανατιζόμεθα· ἐγώ, φησίν, εἶπα, θεοί ἐστε καὶ υἱοὶ ὑψίστου πάντες. Καλεῖται δὲ πολλαχῶς τὸ ἔργον τοῦτο, χάρισμα καὶ φώτισμα καὶ τέλειον καὶ λουτρόν· λουτρὸν μὲν δι' οὗ τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἀπορρυπτόμεθα, χάρισμα δὲ ᾧ τὰ ἐπὶ τοῖς ἁμαρτήμασιν ἐπιτίμια ἀνεῖται, φώτισμα δὲ δι' οὗ τὸ ἅγιον ἐκεῖνο φῶς τὸ σωτήριον ἐποπτεύεται, τουτέστιν δι' οὗ τὸ θεῖον ὀξυωποῦμεν, τέλειον δὲ τὸ ἀπροσδεές φαμεν. Τί γὰρ ἔτι λείπεται τῷ θεὸν ἐγνωκότι; Καὶ γὰρ ἄτοπον ὡς ἀληθῶς χάρισμα κεκλῆσθαι θεοῦ τὸ μὴ πεπληρωμένον· τέλειος δὲ ὢν τέλεια χαριεῖται δήπουθεν· ὡς δὲ ἅμα τῷ κελεῦσαι αὐτὸν πάντα γίνεται, οὕτως ἕπεται τῷ χαρίσασθαι μόνον βουληθῆναι αὐτὸν τὸ πεπληρῶσθαι τὴν χάριν. Τὸ γὰρ μέλλον τοῦ χρόνου τῇ δυνάμει τοῦ θελήματος προλαμβάνεται. Πρὸς δὲ καὶ ἡ τῶν κακῶν ἀπαλλαγὴ σωτηρίας ἐστὶν ἀρχή. Μόνον δὲ ἄρα οἱ πρῶτον ἀρξάμενοι τῶν ὅρων τῆς ζωῆς ἤδη τέλειοι, ζῶμεν δὲ ἤδη οἱ θανάτου κεχωρισμένοι. Σωτηρία τοίνυν τὸ ἕπεσθαι Χριστῷ. Ὃ γὰρ γέγονεν ἐν αὐτῷ, ζωή ἐστιν. Ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, φησίν, ὁ τὸν λόγον μου ἀκούων καὶ πιστεύων τῷ πέμψαντί με ἔχει ζωὴν αἰώνιον καὶ εἰς κρίσιν οὐκ ἔρχεται, ἀλλὰ μεταβέβηκεν ἐκ τοῦ θανάτου εἰς τὴν ζωήν. Οὕτω τὸ πιστεῦσαι μόνον καὶ ἀναγεννηθῆναι τελείωσίς ἐστιν ἐν ζωῇ· οὐ γάρ ποτε ἀσθενεῖ ὁ θεός. Ὡς γὰρ τὸ θέλημα αὐτοῦ ἔργον ἐστὶ καὶ τοῦτο κόσμος ὀνομάζεται, οὕτως καὶ τὸ βούλημα αὐτοῦ ἀνθρώπων ἐστὶ σωτηρία καὶ τοῦτο ἐκκλησία κέκληται. Οἶδεν οὖν οὓς κέκληκεν, οὓς δὲ κέκληκεν, σέσωκεν· κέκληκεν δὲ ἅμα καὶ σέσωκεν. Αὐτοὶ γὰρ ὑμεῖς, φησὶν ὁ ἀπόστολος, θεοδίδακτοί ἐστε. Οὐκ ἄρα θεμιτὸν ἡμῖν ἀτελὲς τὸ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ διδασκόμενον νοεῖν, τὸ δὲ μάθημα ἀίδιος σωτηρία ἀιδίου σωτῆρος, ᾧ ἡ χάρις εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας, ἀμήν. Καὶ ὁ μόνον ἀναγεννηθείς, ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ τοὔνομα ἔχει, φωτισθεὶς ἀπήλλακται μὲν παραχρῆμα τοῦ σκότους, ἀπείληφεν δὲ αὐτόθεν τὸ φῶς... Πάντα μὲν οὖν ἀπολουόμεθα τὰ ἁμαρτήματα, οὐκέτι δέ ἐσμεν παρὰ πόδας κακοί. Μία χάρις αὕτη τοῦ φωτίσματος τὸ μὴ τὸν αὐτὸν εἶναι τῷ πρὶν ἢ λούσασθαι τὸν τρόπον. Ὅτι δὲ ἡ γνῶσις συνανατέλλει τῷ φωτίσματι περιαστράπτουσα τὸν νοῦν, καὶ εὐθέως ἀκούομεν μαθηταὶ οἱ ἀμαθεῖς, πρότερόν ποτε τῆς μαθήσεως ἐκείνης προσγενομένης· οὐ γὰρ ἂν ἔχοις εἰπεῖν τὸν χρόνον. Ἡ μὲν γὰρ κατήχησις εἰς πίστιν περιάγει, πίστις δὲ ἅμα βαπτίσματι ἁγίῳ παιδεύεται πνεύματι· ἐπεί, ὅτι γε μία καθολικὴ τῆς ἀνθρωπότητος σωτηρία ἡ πίστις, ἰσότης δὲ καὶ κοινωνία τοῦ δικαίου καὶ φιλανθρώπου θεοῦ ἡ αὐτὴ πρὸς πάντας, ὁ ἀπόστολος σαφέστατα ἐξηγήσατο ὧδέ πως εἰπών· Πρὸ τοῦ δὲ ἐλθεῖν τὴν πίστιν ὑπὸ νόμον ἐφρουρούμεθα συγκλειόμενοι εἰς τὴν μέλλουσαν πίστιν ἀποκαλυφθῆναι· ὥστε ὁ νόμος παιδαγωγὸς ἡμῶν γέγονεν εἰς Χριστόν, ἵνα ἐκ πίστεως δικαιωθῶμεν· ἐλθούσης δὲ τῆς πίστεως οὐκέτι ὑπὸ παιδαγωγόν ἐσμεν. Οὐκ ἀκούετε ὅτι ὑπ' ἐκεῖνον τὸν νόμον οὐκέτι ἐσμέν, ὃς ἦν μετὰ φόβου, ὑπὸ δὲ τὸν λόγον τῆς προαιρέσεως τὸν παιδαγωγόν; Εἶτα μέντοι ἐπήγαγεν τὴν ἁπάσης ἐκτὸς προσωποληψίας φωνήν· πάντες γὰρ υἱοί ἐστε διὰ πίστεως θεοῦ ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ· ὅσοι γὰρ εἰς Χριστὸν ἐβαπτίσθητε, Χριστὸν ἐνεδύσασθε. Οὐκ ἔνι Ἰουδαῖος οὔτε Ἕλλην, οὐκ ἔνι δοῦλος οὔτε ἐλεύθερος,οὐκ ἔνι ἄρσεν καὶ θῆλυ· πάντες γὰρ ὑμεῖς εἷς ἐστε ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ.

Odd Years: Bede the Venerable, Commentary on 1 Peter, ch. 2 (PL 93, 50-51) Vos autem genus electum, regale sacerdotium. Hoc laudis testimonium quondam antiquo Dei populo per Moysen datum est, quod nunc recte gentibus dat apostolus Petrus, quia videlicet in Christum crediderunt, qui velut lapis angularis in eam, quam in se Israel habuerat salutem, gentes adunavit. You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood. This compliment was addressed through Moses in time gone by to God's ancient people, and now the Apostle Peter rightly addresses it to the Gentiles. For they have come to believe in Christ, who as the cornerstone has associated the Gentiles with the salvation which belonged to Israel. Quas genus electum vocat propter fidem, ut distinguat ab eis, qui, lapidem vivum reprobando, facti sunt ipsi reprobi. He calls them a 'chosen race' on account of their faith, to distinguish them from those who rejected the living rock and themselves have been rejected. Regale autem sacerdotium, quia illius corpori sunt uniti, qui rex summus et sacerdos est verus, regnum suis tribuens ut rex, et ut pontifex eorum peccata sui sanguinis hostia mundans. Regale sacerdotium eos nominat, ut et regnum sperare perpetuum, et hostias immaculatae conversationis Deo semper offerre meminerint. He calls them a 'royal priesthood' because they are members of the body of the supreme King and true Priest. As king he grants to his people a kingdom; as High Priest he washes away their sins by the sacrifice of his own blood. He names them a 'royal priesthood' as a reminder to hope for an eternal kingdom, and to offer to God without ceasing the sacrifice of a sinless life. Gens quoque sancta et populus acquisitionis vocantur, iuxta id quod apostolus Paulus, prophetae sententiam exponens, dicit: Iustus autem meus ex fide vivit; quod si subtraxerit se, non placebit animae meae; nos autem, inquit, non sumus subtractionis in perditionem, sed fidei in acquisitionem animae. Et in Actibus Apostolorum, Vos Spiritus Sanctus posuit episcopos regere Ecclesiam Domini, quam acquisivit sanguine suo. They are called also 'a holy nation and God's own people', in accordance with the Apostle Paul's explanation of the teaching of the Prophet: "My righteous one lives by faith; and if he shrinks back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him." But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and keep their souls. And in the Acts of the Apostles St Paul says: The Holy Spirit has made you guardians to rule the Church of the Lord which he obtained with his own blood. Populus ergo acquisitionis facti sumus in sanguine nostri Redemptoris, quod erat quondam populus Israel redemptus sanguine agni de Aegypto. We have become 'God's own people' through the blood of our Redeemer; for in time gone by the people of Israel was redeemed from Egypt by the blood of the lamb. Unde et in sequenti quoque versiculo mystice veteris recordatus historiae, et hanc etiam novo Dei populo spiritaliter docet implendam dicens: Ut virtutes annuntietis eius. Sicut enim hi, qui de Aegyptia servitute liberati sunt per Moysen, carmen triumphale post transitum maris Rubri et demersum Pharaonis exercitum Domino decantarunt, ita et nos oportet post acceptam in baptismo remissionem peccatorum dignas beneficiis caelestibus rependere gratias. Accordingly in the following verse he once more recalls the mystical sense of this event in the Old Testament, and explains that it is to be fulfilled again spiritually by the new people of God in these words: That you may declare his wonderful deeds. The people who were freed by Moses from slavery in Egypt, after the crossing of the Red Sea and the drowning of Pharaoh's army, sang a hymn of triumph to the Lord; so too, since we have received pardon for our sins in Baptism, we should express due thanks for the heavenly graces we have received. Namque Aegyptii, qui populum Dei affligebant, qui etiam tenebrae vel tribulationes interpretantur, apte per sequentia nos peccata, sed in baptismate deleta, significant. For the Egyptians, who oppressed God's people, and who stand for darkness and suffering, are an apt symbol for the sins which harass us, but which have been destroyed in Baptism. Liberatio quoque filiorum Israel, et ad promissam olim patriam perductio, congruit mysterio nostrae redemptionis, per quam ad lucem supernae mansionis, illustrante nos ac ducente Christi gratia, tendimus; cuius lucem gratiae etiam illa nubis et ignis columna monstravit; quae eos et in toto itinere illo a tenebris defendit noctium, et ad promissas patriae sedes inenarrabili calle perduxit. The liberation of the children of Israel, and the journey by which they were led to the homeland they had long ago been promised, correspond to the mystery of our redemption through which we make our way to the brightness of our heavenly home, with the grace of Christ as our light and our guide. The light of grace is symbolized by the pillar of cloud and fire which throughout their journey protected them from the darkness of the night, and led them along their secret path to their home in the promised land.

Prayer