READINGS: EASTER MONDAY VII

Invitatory Psalm & BACK


Psalm 50: Hebrew English     Then BACK

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

Even Years: Acts 25:1-27 1 φῆστος οὖν ἐπιβὰς τῇ ἐπαρχείᾳ μετὰ τρεῖς ἡμέρας ἀνέβη εἰς ἱεροσόλυμα ἀπὸ καισαρείας, 2 ἐνεφάνισάν τε αὐτῷ οἱ ἀρχιερεῖς καὶ οἱ πρῶτοι τῶν ἰουδαίων κατὰ τοῦ παύλου, καὶ παρεκάλουν αὐτὸν 3 αἰτούμενοι χάριν κατ' αὐτοῦ ὅπως μεταπέμψηται αὐτὸν εἰς Ἰερουσαλήμ, ἐνέδραν ποιοῦντες ἀνελεῖν αὐτὸν κατὰ τὴν ὁδόν. 4 ὁ μὲν οὖν φῆστος ἀπεκρίθη τηρεῖσθαι τὸν παῦλον εἰς καισάρειαν, ἑαυτὸν δὲ μέλλειν ἐν τάχει ἐκπορεύεσθαι: 5 οἱ οὖν ἐν ὑμῖν, φησίν, δυνατοὶ συγκαταβάντες εἴ τί ἐστιν ἐν τῷ ἀνδρὶ ἄτοπον κατηγορείτωσαν αὐτοῦ. 6 διατρίψας δὲ ἐν αὐτοῖς ἡμέρας οὐ πλείους ὀκτὼ ἢ δέκα, καταβὰς εἰς καισάρειαν, τῇ ἐπαύριον καθίσας ἐπὶ τοῦ βήματος ἐκέλευσεν τὸν παῦλον ἀχθῆναι. 7 παραγενομένου δὲ αὐτοῦ περιέστησαν αὐτὸν οἱ ἀπὸ Ἱεροσολύμων καταβεβηκότες ἰουδαῖοι, πολλὰ καὶ βαρέα αἰτιώματα καταφέροντες ἃ οὐκ ἴσχυον ἀποδεῖξαι, 8 τοῦ παύλου ἀπολογουμένου ὅτι οὔτε εἰς τὸν νόμον τῶν ἰουδαίων οὔτε εἰς τὸ ἱερὸν οὔτε εἰς καίσαρά τι ἥμαρτον. 9 ὁ φῆστος δὲ θέλων τοῖς ἰουδαίοις χάριν καταθέσθαι ἀποκριθεὶς τῷ παύλῳ εἶπεν, θέλεις εἰς ἱεροσόλυμα ἀναβὰς ἐκεῖ περὶ τούτων κριθῆναι ἐπ' ἐμοῦ; 10 εἶπεν δὲ ὁ παῦλος, ἐπὶ τοῦ βήματος καίσαρός ἑστώς εἰμι, οὗ με δεῖ κρίνεσθαι. ἰουδαίους οὐδὲν ἠδίκησα, ὡς καὶ σὺ κάλλιον ἐπιγινώσκεις. 11 εἰ μὲν οὖν ἀδικῶ καὶ ἄξιον θανάτου πέπραχά τι, οὐ παραιτοῦμαι τὸ ἀποθανεῖν: εἰ δὲ οὐδέν ἐστιν ὧν οὗτοι κατηγοροῦσίν μου, οὐδείς με δύναται αὐτοῖς χαρίσασθαι: καίσαρα ἐπικαλοῦμαι. 12 τότε ὁ φῆστος συλλαλήσας μετὰ τοῦ συμβουλίου ἀπεκρίθη, καίσαρα ἐπικέκλησαι, ἐπὶ καίσαρα πορεύσῃ. 13 ἡμερῶν δὲ διαγενομένων τινῶν ἀγρίππας ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ βερνίκη κατήντησαν εἰς καισάρειαν ἀσπασάμενοι τὸν φῆστον. 14 ὡς δὲ πλείους ἡμέρας διέτριβον ἐκεῖ, ὁ φῆστος τῷ βασιλεῖ ἀνέθετο τὰ κατὰ τὸν παῦλον λέγων, ἀνήρ τίς ἐστιν καταλελειμμένος ὑπὸ φήλικος δέσμιος, 15 περὶ οὗ γενομένου μου εἰς ἱεροσόλυμα ἐνεφάνισαν οἱ ἀρχιερεῖς καὶ οἱ πρεσβύτεροι τῶν ἰουδαίων, αἰτούμενοι κατ' αὐτοῦ καταδίκην: 16 πρὸς οὓς ἀπεκρίθην ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ἔθος ῥωμαίοις χαρίζεσθαί τινα ἄνθρωπον πρὶν ἢ ὁ κατηγορούμενος κατὰ πρόσωπον ἔχοι τοὺς κατηγόρους τόπον τε ἀπολογίας λάβοι περὶ τοῦ ἐγκλήματος. 17 συνελθόντων οὖν [αὐτῶν] ἐνθάδε ἀναβολὴν μηδεμίαν ποιησάμενος τῇ ἑξῆς καθίσας ἐπὶ τοῦ βήματος ἐκέλευσα ἀχθῆναι τὸν ἄνδρα: 18 περὶ οὗ σταθέντες οἱ κατήγοροι οὐδεμίαν αἰτίαν ἔφερον ὧν ἐγὼ ὑπενόουν πονηρῶν, 19 ζητήματα δέ τινα περὶ τῆς ἰδίας δεισιδαιμονίας εἶχον πρὸς αὐτὸν καὶ περί τινος Ἰησοῦ τεθνηκότος, ὃν ἔφασκεν ὁ παῦλος ζῆν. 20 ἀπορούμενος δὲ ἐγὼ τὴν περὶ τούτων ζήτησιν ἔλεγον εἰ βούλοιτο πορεύεσθαι εἰς ἱεροσόλυμα κἀκεῖ κρίνεσθαι περὶ τούτων. 21 τοῦ δὲ παύλου ἐπικαλεσαμένου τηρηθῆναι αὐτὸν εἰς τὴν τοῦ σεβαστοῦ διάγνωσιν, ἐκέλευσα τηρεῖσθαι αὐτὸν ἕως οὗ ἀναπέμψω αὐτὸν πρὸς καίσαρα. 22 ἀγρίππας δὲ πρὸς τὸν φῆστον, ἐβουλόμην καὶ αὐτὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἀκοῦσαι. αὔριον, φησίν, ἀκούσῃ αὐτοῦ. 23 τῇ οὖν ἐπαύριον ἐλθόντος τοῦ ἀγρίππα καὶ τῆς βερνίκης μετὰ πολλῆς φαντασίας καὶ εἰσελθόντων εἰς τὸ ἀκροατήριον σύν τε χιλιάρχοις καὶ ἀνδράσιν τοῖς κατ' ἐξοχὴν τῆς πόλεως, καὶ κελεύσαντος τοῦ φήστου ἤχθη ὁ παῦλος. 24 καί φησιν ὁ φῆστος, ἀγρίππα βασιλεῦ καὶ πάντες οἱ συμπαρόντες ἡμῖν ἄνδρες, θεωρεῖτε τοῦτον περὶ οὗ ἅπαν τὸ πλῆθος τῶν ἰουδαίων ἐνέτυχόν μοι ἔν τε Ἱεροσολύμοις καὶ ἐνθάδε, βοῶντες μὴ δεῖν αὐτὸν ζῆν μηκέτι. 25 ἐγὼ δὲ κατελαβόμην μηδὲν ἄξιον αὐτὸν θανάτου πεπραχέναι, αὐτοῦ δὲ τούτου ἐπικαλεσαμένου τὸν σεβαστὸν ἔκρινα πέμπειν. 26 περὶ οὗ ἀσφαλές τι γράψαι τῷ κυρίῳ οὐκ ἔχω: διὸ προήγαγον αὐτὸν ἐφ' ὑμῶν καὶ μάλιστα ἐπὶ σοῦ, βασιλεῦ ἀγρίππα, ὅπως τῆς ἀνακρίσεως γενομένης σχῶ τί γράψω: 27 ἄλογον γάρ μοι δοκεῖ πέμποντα δέσμιον μὴ καὶ τὰς κατ' αὐτοῦ αἰτίας σημᾶναι.

Odd Years: 1 John 4:1-10 ἀγαπητοί, μὴ παντὶ πνεύματι πιστεύετε, ἀλλὰ δοκιμάζετε τὰ πνεύματα εἰ ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐστιν, ὅτι πολλοὶ ψευδοπροφῆται ἐξεληλύθασιν εἰς τὸν κόσμον. ἐν τούτῳ γινώσκετε τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ θεοῦ: πᾶν πνεῦμα ὃ ὁμολογεῖ ἰησοῦν χριστὸν ἐν σαρκὶ ἐληλυθότα ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐστιν,      καὶ πᾶν πνεῦμα ὃ μὴ ὁμολογεῖ τὸν ἰησοῦν      ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ οὐκ ἔστιν:      καὶ τοῦτό ἐστιν τὸ τοῦ ἀντιχρίστου,      ὃ ἀκηκόατε ὅτι ἔρχεται,      καὶ νῦν ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ ἐστὶν ἤδη.      ὑμεῖς ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐστε, τεκνία,      καὶ νενικήκατε αὐτούς,      ὅτι μείζων ἐστὶν ὁ ἐν ὑμῖν ἢ ὁ ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ.      αὐτοὶ ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου εἰσίν:      διὰ τοῦτο ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου λαλοῦσιν      καὶ ὁ κόσμος αὐτῶν ἀκούει. ἡμεῖς ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐσμεν: ὁ γινώσκων τὸν θεὸν ἀκούει ἡμῶν, ὃς οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ οὐκ ἀκούει ἡμῶν. ἐκ τούτου γινώσκομεν τὸ πνεῦμα τῆς ἀληθείας καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα τῆς πλάνης. ἀγαπητοί, ἀγαπῶμεν ἀλλήλους, ὅτι ἡ ἀγάπη ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐστιν, καὶ πᾶς ὁ ἀγαπῶν ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ γεγέννηται καὶ γινώσκει τὸν θεόν. ὁ μὴ ἀγαπῶν οὐκ ἔγνω τὸν θεόν, ὅτι ὁ θεὸς ἀγάπη ἐστίν.      ἐν τούτῳ ἐφανερώθη ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ θεοῦ ἐν ἡμῖν,      ὅτι τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ τὸν μονογενῆ      ἀπέσταλκεν ὁ θεὸς εἰς τὸν κόσμον      ἵνα ζήσωμεν δι' αὐτοῦ.      ἐν τούτῳ ἐστὶν ἡ ἀγάπη,      οὐχ ὅτι ἡμεῖς ἠγαπήκαμεν τὸν θεόν,      ἀλλ' ὅτι αὐτὸς ἠγάπησεν ἡμᾶς      καὶ ἀπέστειλεν τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ ἱλασμὸν περὶ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν.

Even Years: Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary on John, Book 11:11 (PG 74, 559-562) Ὅτι δὲ καὶ τὴν κατὰ σῶμα νοουμένην ἕνωσιν, φημὶ δὴ τὴν πρὸς Χριστὸν, οἱ τῆς ἁγίας αὐτοῦ σαρκὸς ἐν μεθέξει γεγονότες ἀποκερδαίνομεν, μαρτυρήσει πάλιν ὁ Παῦλος περὶ τοῦ τῆς εὐσεβσίας μυστηρίου λέγων· Ὅ ἑτέραις γενεαῖς οὐκ ἐγνωρίσθη τοῖς υἱοῖς τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὡς νῦν ἀπεκαλύφθη τοῖς ἁγίοις ἀποστόλοις αὐτοῦ, καὶ προφήταις ἐν Πνεύματι, εἶναι τὰ ἔθνη συγκληρονόμα καὶ συμμέτοχα τῆς ἐπαγγελίας ἐν Χριστῷ. All who receive the sacred flesh of Christ are united with him as members of his body. This is the teaching of St Paul when he speaks of the mystery of our religion that was hidden from former generations, but has now been revealed to the holy Apostles and Prophets by the Spirit; namely, that the Gentiles are joint-heirs with the Jews, that they are members of the same body, and that they have a share in the promise made by God in Christ Jesus. Εἰ δὲ σύσσωμοι πάντες ἀλλήλοις ἐσμὲν ἐν Χριστῷ, καὶ οὐχὶ μόνον ἀλλήλοις, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτῷ δῆλον ὅτι τῷ ἐν ἡμῖν γινομένῳ διὰ τῆς ἰδίας σαρκός· πῶς οὐκ ἤδη σαφῶς ἓν ἐσμεν οἱ πάντες καὶ ἐν ἀλλήλοις, καὶ ἐν Χρισστῷ; Χριστὸς γάρ ἐστιν ὁ τῆς ἑνότητος σύνδεσμος, Θεός τε ὑπάρχων ἐν ταυτῷ καὶ ἄνθρωπος. If in Christ all of us, both ourselves and he who is within us by his own flesh, are members of the same body, is it not clear that we are one both with one another and with Christ? He is the bond that unites us, because he is at once both God and man Περὶ δέ γε τῆς ἑνώσεως τῆς ἐν Πνεύματι, τὴν αὐτὴν ὥσπερ τῶν θεωρημάτων διαθέοντες τρίβον, ἐροῦμεν δὴ πάλιν, ὅτι πάντες ἓν καὶ τὸ αὐτὸ δεξάμενοι Πνεῦμα, φημὶ δὴ τὸ ἅγιον, συνανακρινάμεθα τρόπον τινὰ καὶ ἀλλήλοις καὶ Θεῷ. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ πολλοῖς οὖσιν ἡμῖν ἀνὰ μέρος, ἑκάστῳ τό τε τοῦ Πατρὸς καὶ τὸ ἴδιον ἐνοικίζει Πνεῦμα Χριστὸς, ἀλλ᾿ ἕν ἐστι καὶ ἀμέριστον, τὰ τῆς ἀλλήλων ἑνότητος διακεκομμένα πνεύματα, κατά γε τὸ εἶναι φαμεν ἐν τῇ καθ᾿ ὕπαρξιν ἰδιότητι, συνέχον εἰς ἑνότητα, δι᾿ ἑαυτοῦ καὶ ὡς ἕν τι τοὺς πάντας ἀναφαίνεσθαι ποιοῦν ἐν ἑαυτῷ. With regard to our unity in the Spirit we may say, following the same line of thought, that all of us who have received one and the same Spirit, the Holy Spirit, are united intimately both with one another and with God. Taken separately we are many, and Christ sends the Spirit who is both the Father's Spirit and his own, to dwell in each of us. Yet that Spirit, being one and indivisible, gathers together those who are distinct from each other as individuals and causes them all to be seen as a unity in himself. Ὥσπερ γὰρ τῆς ἁγίας σαρκὸς ἡ δύναμις συσσώμους ἀποτελεῖ τοὺς ἐν οἷς ἂν γένοιτο, τὸν αὐτὸν, οἶμαι, τρόπον. ἓν τὸ ἐν πᾶσιν ἀμέριστον ἐνοικῆσαν Πνεῦμα Θεοῦ πρὸς ἑνότητα τὴν πνευματικὴν συνάγει τοὺς πάντας. Just as Christ's sacred flesh has power to make those in whom it is present into one body, so the one, indivisible Spirit of God, dwelling in all, causes all to become one in spirit Διὰ τοῦτο πάλιν ἡμῖν ὁ θεσπέσιος προσεφώνει Παῦλος· Ἀνεχόμενοι ἀλλήλων ἐν ἀγάπῃ, σπουδάζοντες τηρεῖν τὴν ἑνότητα τοῦ πνεύματος ἐν τῷ συνδέσμῳ τῆς εἰρήνης, ἓν σῶμα, καὶ ἓν πνεῦμα, καθὼς καὶ ἐκλήθητε ἐν μιᾷ ἐλπίδι τῆς κλήσεως ὑμῶν. Εἷς Κύριος, μία πίστις, ἓν βάπτισμα, εἷς Θεὸς καὶ Πατὴρ πάντων, ὁ ἐπὶ πάντων καὶ διὰ πάντων, καὶ ἐν πᾶσιν. Ἑνὸς γὰρ ἡμῖν ἐναυλιζομένου τοῦ Πνεύματος, εἷς ὁ τῶν ὅλων Πατὴρ ἐν ἡμῖν ἔσται Θεὸς δι᾿ Υἱοῦ πρὸς ἑνότητα συνέχων, τὴν εἰς ἄλληλα καὶ πρὸς ἑαυτὸν, τὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος μέτοχα. Therefore Saint Paul appeals to us to bear with one another charitably, and to spare no effort in securing by the bonds of peace, the unity that comes from the Spirit. There is but one body and one Spirit just as there is but one hope held out to us by God's call. There is one Lord, one faith, one Baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and works through all, and is in all. If the one Spirit dwells in us, the one God and Father of all will be in us, and he through his Son will gather together into unity with one another and with himself all who share in the Spirit. Ὅτι δὲ τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι κατὰ μέθεξιν συνενούμεθα, δῆλόν πως ἔσται καὶ διὰ τούτου. Εἰ γὰρ, ἀφέντες τὸ πολιτεύεσθαι ψυχικῶς, τοῖς τοῦ πνεύματος νόμοις τὸ εἰσάπαξ κρατεῖν παρακεχωρήκαμεν, πῶς οὐ παντί τῳ λοιπὸν ἀναμφίλογον, ὅτι τὴν ἰδίαν ὥσπερ ζωὴν ἀρνησάμενοι, καὶ τοῦ συμπλακέντος ἡμῖν ἁγίου Πνεύματος τῆν ὑπερκόσμιον ἀναλαβόντες μόρφωσιν, μονονουχὶ καὶ εἰς ἑτέραν ὥσπερ μεθιστάμενοι φύσιν, οὐκ ἄνθρωποι μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ υἱοὶ Θεοῦ, καὶ οὐράνιοι χρηματίζοντες ἄνθρωποι, διὰ τὸ τῆς θείας φύσεως ἀποπεφάνθαι κοινωνούς; There is also another way of showing that we are made one by sharing in the Holy Spirit. If we have given up our worldly way of life and submitted once for all to the laws of the Spirit it must surely be obvious to everyone that by repudiating in a sense our own life, and taking on the supernatural likeness of the Holy Spirit who is united to us, our nature is transformed so that we are no longer mere men but also children of God, spiritual men, by reason of the share we have received in the divine nature. Ἓν τοιγαροῦν οἱ πάντες ἐσμὲν ἐν Πατρὶ καὶ Υἱῷ καὶ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, ἓν δὲ, φημὶ, καὶ τῇ καθ᾿ ἕξιν ταυτότητι καὶ ἐν μορφώσει τῇ κατ᾿ εὐσέβειαν καὶ τῇ κοινωνίᾳ τῇ ἁγίας σαρκὸς τοῦ Χριστοῦ, καὶ τῇ κοινωνίᾳ τοῦ ἑνὸς καὶ ἁγίου Πνεύματος. We are all one, therefore, in the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. We are one in mind and holiness, we are one through our communion in the sacred flesh of Christ, and through our sharing in the one Holy Spirit.

Odd Years: Augustine of Hippo, Treatise 6 on 1 John, 11 (SC 75, 300-304) Dilectissimi, nolite omni spiritui credere; quia dixerat: in hoc cognoscimus quia manet in nobis, de spiritu quem dedit nobis. unde autem cognoscitur ipse spiritus? adtendite: dilectissimi, nolite omni spiritui credere, sed probate spiritus si ex deo sunt Spiritus sanctus nomine aquae appellatus est in euangelio domino clamante et dicente: si quis sitit, ueniat ad me et bibat. qui credit in me flumina aquae uiuae fluent de uentre eius. euangelista autem exposuit unde diceret. sequutus enim ait: hoc autem dicebat de spiritu quem accepturi erant qui in eum erant credituri. quare non multos baptizauit dominus? sed quid ait? spiritus autem nondum erat datus quia iesus nondum erat clarificatus. quia ergo illi baptismum habebant et spiritum nondum acceperant quem die pentecostes misit dominus de caelo, ut daretur spiritus expectabatur clarificatio domini. Et antequam clarificaretur et antequam mitteret eum, inuitabat tamen homines ut se praepararent ad accipiendam aquam de qua dixit: qui sitit ueniat et bibat, et: qui credit in me flumina aquae uiuae de uentre eius fluent. quid est: flumina aquae uiuae? quid est illa aqua? nemo me interroget; euangelium interroga. hoc autem dicebat, ait, de spiritu quem accepturi erant hi qui in eum erant credituri. aliud est ergo aqua sacramenti, aliud aqua quae significat spiritum dei. Aqua sacramenti uisibilis est; aqua spiritus inuisibilis est. ista abluit corpus et significat quod fit in anima; per illum spiritum ipsa anima mundatur et saginatur. ipse est spiritus dei quem non possunt habere haeretici et quicumque se ab ecclesia praecidunt. et quicumque non aperte praecidunt sed per iniquitatem praecisi sunt, et intus tamquam palea uoluuntur et grana non sunt, non habent istum spiritum. Iste spiritus nomine aquae a domino significatus est, et audimus ab hac epistula: nolite omni spiritui credere. adtestantur uerba salomonis: ab aqua aliena abstine te. quid est aqua? spiritus. numquid semper aqua spiritum significat? non semper, sed quibusdam locis spiritum significat, quibusdam locis baptismum significat, quibusdam locis populos significat, quibusdam locis consilium significat. habes quodam loco dictum: fons uitae consilium possidentibus eum. ergo per diuersa loca scripturarum nomen aquae diuersa significat. nunc tamen nomine aquae spiritum sanctum audistis non ex interpretatione nostra sed ex testimonio euangelico ubi ait: hoc autem dicebat de spiritu quem erant accepturi hi qui in eum erant credituri.

Prayer