READINGS: LENT THURSDAY III

Invitatory Psalm & BACK

PSALMS and BACK

אֲשֲׁר בְּתוֹרַת יְהוָה יֶהְגֶּה — פִּרְיוֹ יִתֵּן בְּעִתּוֹ

Even Years: Exodus 34:10-28 וַיֹּאמֶר הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי כֹּרֵת בְּרִית נֶגֶד כָּל־עַמְּךָ אֶעֱשֶׂה נִפְלָאֹת אֲשֶׁר לֹא־נִבְרְאוּ בְכָל־הָאָרֶץ וּבְכָל־הַגּוֹיִם וְרָאָה כָל־הָעָם אֲשֶׁר־אַתָּה בְקִרְבּוֹ אֶת־מַעֲשֵׂה יְהוָה כִּי־נוֹרָא הוּא אֲשֶׁר אֲנִי עֹשֶׂה עִמָּךְ׃ שְׁמָר־לְךָ אֵת אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוְּךָ הַיּוֹם הִנְנִי גֹרֵשׁ מִפָּנֶיךָ אֶת־הָאֱמֹרִי וְהַכְּנַעֲנִי וְהַחִתִּי וְהַפְּרִזִּי וְהַחִוִּי וְהַיְבוּסִי׃ הִשָּׁמֶר לְךָ פֶּן־תִּכְרֹת בְּרִית לְיוֹשֵׁב הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר אַתָּה בָּא עָלֶיהָ פֶּן־יִהְיֶה לְמוֹקֵשׁ בְּקִרְבֶּךָ׃ כִּי אֶת־מִזְבְּחֹתָם תִּתֹּצוּן וְאֶת־מַצֵּבֹתָם תְּשַׁבֵּרוּן וְאֶת־אֲשֵׁרָיו תִּכְרֹתוּן׃ כִּי לֹא תִשְׁתַּחֲוֶה לְאֵל אַחֵר כִּי יְהוָה קַנָּא שְׁמוֹ אֵל קַנָּא הוּא׃ פֶּן־תִּכְרֹת בְּרִית לְיוֹשֵׁב הָאָרֶץ וְזָנוּ אַחֲרֵי אֱלֹהֵיהֶם וְזָבְחוּ לֵאלֹהֵיהֶם וְקָרָא לְךָ וְאָכַלְתָּ מִזִּבְחוֹ׃ וְלָקַחְתָּ מִבְּנֹתָיו לְבָנֶיךָ וְזָנוּ בְנֹתָיו אַחֲרֵי אֱלֹהֵיהֶן וְהִזְנוּ אֶת־בָּנֶיךָ אַחֲרֵי אֱלֹהֵיהֶן׃ אֱלֹהֵי מַסֵּכָה לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה־לָּךְ׃ אֶת־חַג הַמַּצּוֹת תִּשְׁמֹר שִׁבְעַת יָמִים תֹּאכַל מַצּוֹת אֲשֶׁר צִוִּיתִךָ לְמוֹעֵד חֹדֶשׁ הָאָבִיב כִּי בְּחֹדֶשׁ הָאָבִיב יָצָאתָ מִמִּצְרָיִם׃ כָּל־פֶּטֶר רֶחֶם לִי וְכָל־מִקְנְךָ תִּזָּכָר פֶּטֶר שׁוֹר וָשֶׂה׃ וּפֶטֶר חֲמוֹר תִּפְדֶּה בְשֶׂה וְאִם־לֹא תִפְדֶּה וַעֲרַפְתּוֹ כֹּל בְּכוֹר בָּנֶיךָ תִּפְדֶּה וְלֹא־יֵרָאוּ פָנַי רֵיקָם׃ שֵׁשֶׁת יָמִים תַּעֲבֹד וּבַיּוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי תִּשְׁבֹּת בֶּחָרִישׁ וּבַקָּצִיר תִּשְׁבֹּת׃ וְחַג שָׁבֻעֹת תַּעֲשֶׂה לְךָ בִּכּוּרֵי קְצִיר חִטִּים וְחַג הָאָסִיף תְּקוּפַת הַשָּׁנָה׃ שָׁלֹשׁ פְּעָמִים בַּשָּׁנָה יֵרָאֶה כָּל־זְכוּרְךָ אֶת־פְּנֵי הָאָדֹן יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל׃ כִּי־אוֹרִישׁ גּוֹיִם מִפָּנֶיךָ וְהִרְחַבְתִּי אֶת־גְּבוּלֶךָ וְלֹא־יַחְמֹד אִישׁ אֶת־אַרְצְךָ בַּעֲלֹתְךָ לֵרָאוֹת אֶת־פְּנֵי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ שָׁלֹשׁ פְּעָמִים בַּשָּׁנָה׃ לֹא־תִשְׁחַט עַל־חָמֵץ דַּם־זִבְחִי וְלֹא־יָלִין לַבֹּקֶר זֶבַח חַג הַפָּסַח׃ רֵאשִׁית בִּכּוּרֵי אַדְמָתְךָ תָּבִיא בֵּית יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ לֹא־תְבַשֵּׁל גְּדִי בַּחֲלֵב אִמּוֹ׃ פ וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֶל־מֹשֶׁה כְּתָב־לְךָ אֶת־הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה כִּי עַל־פִּי הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה כָּרַתִּי אִתְּךָ בְּרִית וְאֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵל׃ וַיְהִי־שָׁם עִם־יְהוָה אַרְבָּעִים יוֹם וְאַרְבָּעִים לַיְלָה לֶחֶם לֹא אָכַל וּמַיִם לֹא שָׁתָה וַיִּכְתֹּב עַל־הַלֻּחֹת אֵת דִּבְרֵי הַבְּרִית עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדְּבָרִים׃	10 He then said, 'Look, I am now making a covenant: I shall work such wonders at the head of your whole people as have never been worked in any other country or nation, and all the people round you will see what Yahweh can do, for what I shall do through you will be awe-inspiring. 11 Mark, then, what I command you today. I am going to drive out the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites before you. 12 Take care you make no pact with the inhabitants of the country which you are about to enter, or they will prove a snare in your community. 13 You will tear down their altars, smash their cultic stones and cut down their sacred poles, 14 for you will worship no other god, since Yahweh's name is the Jealous One; he is a jealous God. 15 Make no pact with the inhabitants of the country or, when they prostitute themselves to their own gods and sacrifice to them, they will invite you and you will partake of their sacrifice, 16 and then you will choose wives for your sons from among their daughters, and their daughters, prostituting themselves to their own gods, will induce your sons to prostitute themselves to their gods. 17 You will not cast metal gods for yourself. 18 You will observe the feast of Unleavened Bread. For seven days you will eat unleavened bread, as I have commanded you, at the appointed time in the month of Abib, for in the month of Abib you came out of Egypt. 19 All that first issues from the womb belongs to me: every male, every first-born of flock or herd. 20 But the first-born donkey you will redeem with an animal from the flock; if you do not redeem it, you must break its neck. All the first-born of your sons you will redeem, and no one will appear before me empty-handed. 21 For six days you will labour, but on the seventh day you will rest; you will stop work even during ploughing and harvesting. 22 You will observe the feast of Weeks, of the first-fruits of the wheat harvest, and the feast of Ingathering at the close of the year. 23 Three times a year all your menfolk will appear before Lord Yahweh, God of Israel, 24 for I shall dispossess the nations before you and extend your frontiers, and no one will set his heart on your territory when you go away to appear before Yahweh your God three times a year. 25 You will not offer the blood of my sacrificial victim with leavened bread, nor is the victim offered at the feast of Passover to be left until the following day. 26 You will bring the best of the first-fruits of your soil to the house of Yahweh your God. You will not boil a kid in its mother's milk. 27 Yahweh then said to Moses, 'Put these words in writing, for they are the terms of the covenant which I have made with you and with Israel.' 28 He stayed there with Yahweh for forty days and forty nights, eating and drinking nothing, and on the tablets he wrote the words of the covenant -- the Ten Words.
Odd Years: Hebrews 4:14—5:10 ἔχοντες οὖν ἀρχιερέα μέγαν διεληλυθότα τοὺς οὐρανούς, Ἰησοῦν τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ, κρατῶμεν τῆς ὁμολογίας: οὐ γὰρ ἔχομεν ἀρχιερέα μὴ δυνάμενον συμπαθῆσαι ταῖς ἀσθενείαις ἡμῶν, πεπειρασμένον δὲ κατὰ πάντα καθ' ὁμοιότητα χωρὶς ἁμαρτίας. προσερχώμεθα οὖν μετὰ παρρησίας τῷ θρόνῳ τῆς χάριτος, ἵνα λάβωμεν ἔλεος καὶ χάριν εὕρωμεν εἰς εὔκαιρον βοήθειαν. 5       πᾶς γὰρ ἀρχιερεὺς ἐξ ἀνθρώπων λαμβανόμενος       ὑπὲρ ἀνθρώπων καθίσταται τὰ πρὸς τὸν θεόν,       ἵνα προσφέρῃ δῶρά τε καὶ θυσίας ὑπὲρ ἁμαρτιῶν,       μετριοπαθεῖν δυνάμενος τοῖς ἀγνοοῦσιν καὶ πλανωμένοις,       ἐπεὶ καὶ αὐτὸς περίκειται ἀσθένειαν,       καὶ δι' αὐτὴν ὀφείλει καθὼς περὶ τοῦ λαοῦ       οὕτως καὶ περὶ αὐτοῦ προσφέρειν περὶ ἁμαρτιῶν.       καὶ οὐχ ἑαυτῷ τις λαμβάνει τὴν τιμήν,       ἀλλὰ καλούμενος ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ, καθώσπερ καὶ Ἀαρών.       οὕτως καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς οὐχ ἑαυτὸν ἐδόξασεν γενηθῆναι ἀρχιερέα,       ἀλλ' ὁ λαλήσας πρὸς αὐτόν, υἱός μου εἶ σύ, ἐγὼ σήμερον γεγέννηκά σε:       καθὼς καὶ ἐν ἑτέρῳ λέγει, σὺ ἱερεὺς εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα κατὰ τὴν τάξιν Μελχισέδεκ. ὃς ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις τῆς σαρκὸς αὐτοῦ, δεήσεις τε καὶ ἱκετηρίας πρὸς τὸν δυνάμενον σῴζειν αὐτὸν ἐκ θανάτου μετὰ κραυγῆς ἰσχυρᾶς καὶ δακρύων προσενέγκας καὶ εἰσακουσθεὶς ἀπὸ τῆς εὐλαβείας, καίπερ ὢν υἱὸς ἔμαθεν ἀφ' ὧν ἔπαθεν τὴν ὑπακοήν: καὶ τελειωθεὶς ἐγένετο πᾶσιν τοῖς ὑπακούουσιν αὐτῷ αἴτιος σωτηρίας αἰωνίου, προσαγορευθεὶς ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ ἀρχιερεὺς κατὰ τὴν τάξιν Μελχισέδεκ.
14 Since in Jesus, the Son of God, we have the supreme high priest who has gone through to the highest heaven, we must hold firm to our profession of faith. 15 For the high priest we have is not incapable of feeling our weaknesses with us, but has been put to the test in exactly the same way as ourselves, apart from sin. 16 Let us, then, have no fear in approaching the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace when we are in need of help. 5:1 Every high priest is taken from among human beings and is appointed to act on their behalf in relationships with God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins; 2 he can sympathise with those who are ignorant or who have gone astray, because he too is subject to the limitations of weakness. 3 That is why he has to make sin offerings for himself as well as for the people. 4 No one takes this honour on himself; it needs a call from God, as in Aaron's case. 5 And so it was not Christ who gave himself the glory of becoming high priest, but the one who said to him: You are my Son, today I have fathered you, 6 and in another text: You are a priest for ever, of the order of Melchizedek. 7 During his life on earth, he offered up prayer and entreaty, with loud cries and with tears, to the one who had the power to save him from death, and, winning a hearing by his reverence, 8 he learnt obedience, Son though he was, through his sufferings; 9 when he had been perfected, he became for all who obey him the source of eternal salvation 10 and was acclaimed by God with the title of high priest of the order of Melchizedek.

Even Years: Tertullian, Treatise on prayer, 28-29 (CCL 1, 273-274) Oratio est hostia spiritalis, quae pristina sacrificia delevit. Quo mihi, inquit, multitudinem sacrificiorum vestrorum? Plenus sum holocautomatum arietum, et adipem agnorum et sanguinem taurorum et hircorum nolo. Quis enim requisivit ista de manibus vestris? Prayer is the spiritual offering that has replaced the ancient sacrifices. What good do I receive from the multiplicity of your sacrifices? asks God. I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams, and I do not want the fat of lambs and the blood of bulls and goats. Who has asked for these from your hands? Quae ergo quaesierit Deus, Evangelium docet. Veniet hora, inquit, cum veri adoratores adorabunt Patrem in spiritu et veritate. Deus enim Spiritus est, et adoratores itaque tales requirit. What God has asked for, we learn from the Gospel: The hour will come, it says, when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. God is spirit, and so he looks for worshipers who are like himself. Nos sumus veri adoratores et veri sacerdotes, qui, spiritu orantes, spiritu sacrificamus orationem, hostiam Dei propriam et acceptabilem, quam scilicet requisivit, quam sibi prospexit. We are the true worshipers and the true priests. Praying in spirit we offer prayer to God as a sacrifice. Prayer is an appropriate and an acceptable sacrifice to God. It is the offering he has asked for and the offering he expects. Hanc de toto corde devotam, fide pastam, veritate curatam, innocentia integram, castitate mundam, agape coronatam, cum pompa operum bonorum inter psalmos et hymnos deducere ad Dei altare debemus, omnia nobis a Deo impetraturam. We must make this offering with our whole heart. We must fatten it on faith, prepare it by truth, keep it unblemished by innocence, spotless by chastity, and we must crown it with love. We must escort it to the altar of God in a procession of good works to the sound of psalms and hymns. Then it will gain for us all that we ask of God. Quid enim orationi de spiritu et veritate venienti negabit Deus, qui eam exigit? Legimus et audimus et credimus, quanta documenta efficaciae eius! What can God refuse to prayer offered in spirit and in truth, when he himself asks for such prayer? How many proofs of its efficacy we read about, hear of, and believe! Vetus quidem oratio et ab ignibus et a bestiis et ab inedia liberabat, et tamen non a Christo acceperat formam. Of old prayer brought deliverance from fire and beasts and hunger even before it received its pattern from Christ. Ceterum quanto amplius operatur oratio christiana! Non roris angelum in mediis ignibus sistit nec ora leonibus obstruit nec esurientibus rusticorum prandium transfert, nullum sensum passionis delegata gratia avertit, sed patientes et sentientes et dolentes sufferentia instruit, virtute ampliat gratiam, ut sciat fides quid a Domino consequatur, intellegens quid pro Dei nomine patiatur. How much greater then is the power of Christian prayer! It does not bring an angel of comfort to the heart of a fiery furnace, or shut the mouths of lions, or transport to the hungry food from the fields. The grace it wins does not remove all sense of pain, but it does endow those who suffer with the capacity to endure and the faith to know what the Lord will give those who suffer for the name of God. Sed et retro oratio plagas irrogabat, fundebat hostium exercitus, imbrium utilia prohibebat. Nunc vero oratio iustitiae omnem iram Dei avertit, pro inimicis excubat, pro persequentibus supplicat. Mirum si aquas caelestes extorquere novit, quae potuit et ignes impetrare? Sola est oratio, quae Deum vincit; sed Christus eam nihil mali voluit operari, omnem illi virtutem de bono contulit. In the past prayer caused plagues, routed armies, withheld the blessing of rain. Now the prayer of good people turns aside the anger of God, keeps vigil for their enemies, pleads for their persecutors. If prayer once had the power to call down fire from heaven, is it any wonder that it can call down from heaven the waters of grace? Prayer is the one thing that can conquer God. But Christ has willed that it should work no evil: all the power he has given it is for good. Itaque nihil novit, nisi defunctorum animas de ipso mortis itinere revocare, debiles reformare, aegros remediare, daemoniacos expiare, claustra carceris aperire, vincula innocentium solvere. Eadem diluit delicta, tentationes repellit, persecutiones exstinguit, pusillanimos consolatur, magnanimos oblectat, peregrinantes deducit, fluctus mitigat, latrones obstupefacit, alit pauperes, regit divites, lapsos erigit, cadentes suspendit, stantes continet. [So, its power is none other than to recall souls of the dead from the very road of death, to reshape the weak, to make the sick well, to deliver the possessed, to open prison gates, to loosen the chains of the innocent. It also dissolves sins committed, repels temptations, extinguishes persecutions, consoles the timid, wins over the magnanimous, leads travelers, diminishes floods, stuns thieves, nourishes the poor, regulates the rich, raises the fallen, holds up the falling, and preserves those who are standing.] Orant etiam angeli omnes, orat omnis creatura, orant pecudes et ferae, et genua declinant et egredientes de stabulis ac speluncis ad caelum non otioso ore suspiciunt, vibrantes spiritum suo more. Sed et aves tunc exsurgentes eriguntur ad caelum et alarum crucem pro manibus expandunt et dicunt aliquid quod oratio videatur. All the angels pray. Every creature prays. Cattle and wild beasts pray and bend the knee. As they come from their barns and caves they look up to heaven and call out, lifting up their spirit in their own fashion. The birds too rise and lift themselves up to heaven: they open out their wings, instead of hands, in the form of a cross, and give voice to what seems to be a prayer. Quid ergo amplius de officio orationis? Etiam ipse Dominus oravit, cui sit honor et virtus in saecula saeculorum. What more need be said about the duty of prayer? Even the Lord himself prayed. To him be honour and power for ever and ever. Amen.

Odd Years: Cyril of Alexandria, Easter Sermon 26, 3 (PG 77, 926) Γέγονε δὲ εἰς ἡμᾶς ἐλεήμων ἀρχιερεὺς κατὰ τοιόνδε τινὰ τρόπον. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ δι' ἀγγέλων λαληθεὶς νόμος τοῖς ἐξ Ἰσραὴλ, τοὺς ταῖς παραβάσεσιν ὑποπίπτοντας ἀποτιννύναι δίκας, καὶ τοῦτο ἀμελλητὶ προστέταχε· καὶ μαρτυρήσει γράφων ὁ πάνσοφος Παῦλος· Ἀθετήσας τις νόμον Μωσέως, χωρὶς οἰκτιρμῶν ἐπὶ δυσὶν ἢ τρισὶ μάρτυσιν ἀποθνήσκει. Ἦ[ν] οὖν ἀμελέτητον καὶ ἀνεπιτήδευτον παντελῶς τοῖς κατὰ νόμον ἱερατεύουσι, τὸ κατοικτεῖραί τινας τῶν ἁλόντων ἐπὶ ῥᾳθυμίαις. Γέγονε δὲ Χριστὸς ἐλεήμων ἀρχιερεύς. Οὐ γὰρ ἐζήτησε δίκας τοὺς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς τῶν ἡμαρτημένων· δεδικαίωκε δὲ μᾶλλον ἅπαντας χάριτι καὶ οἰκτιρμοῖς. Καὶ προσέτι τούτῳ πνευματικοὺς ἀπέφηνε προσκυνητὰς, λαμπράν τε καὶ ἐναργῆ παραστήσας ἡμῖν τὴν ἀλήθειαν, τουτέστι, τὸν ἀληθῆ τῆς εὐζωΐας τρόπον. For our sake Christ became a merciful high priest. The Law given to the people of Israel through the mouths of angels ordered the immediate punishment of those who fell into sin. Paul tells us that anyone who violates the Law of Moses is put to death on the evidence of two or three witnesses. Under the Law, therefore, priests never had the least thought of showing mercy to anyone convicted of negligence. But Christ became a merciful high priest. He did not punish people for their sins, but justified all by his grace and compassion. Moreover, he taught us how to worship in a spiritual way, and by giving us a clear vision of the truth, he showed us how to live worthily. Ὃς διά γε εὐαγγελικῶν κηρυγμάτων, εὖ μάλα κατασημαίνεται, καὶ οὐ ταῖς Μωσέως ἐπιτιμήσας ἐντολαῖς, ἤγουν ἀνατρέψας τὰ πάλαι τεθεσπισμένα, παρέδειξε τὴν ἀλήθειαν· ἀποσαλεύσας δὲ μᾶλλον τὴν τοῦ νομικοῦ γράμματος σκιὰν, καὶ μεθιστὰς τοὺς τύπους εἰς τὴν ἐν Πατρὶ καὶ ἀληθείᾳ προσκύνησιν καὶ λατρείαν. Τοιγάρτοι καὶ ἔφασκεν ἐναργῶς· Μὴ νομίσητε ὅτι ἦλθον καταλῦσαι τὸν νόμον ἢ τοὺς προφήτας· οὐκ ἦλθον καταλῦσαι, ἀλλὰ πληρῶσαι. Λέγω γὰρ ὑμῖν, ἰῶτα ἓν, ἢ μία κεραία οὐ μὴ παρέλθῃ ἀπὸ τοῦ νόμου, ἕως πάντα γένηται. This is the message of the Gospel. Nevertheless, by teaching us the truth he did not mean to censure the Law of Moses, or to refute the ancient Prophets. It was a question rather of removing the shadow that overlay the writings of the Law, and of replacing symbols by worship in spirit and in truth. He made this perfectly plain when he said: Do not imagine that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfil them. I assure you that the Law will not lose a single dot or stroke until its purpose is achieved. Τὸ δὲ δὴ τοὺς τύπους μετακομίζειν εἰς ἀλήθειαν, οὐ καταλύοντος ἦν αὐτούς· ἀποπεραίνοντος δὲ μᾶλλον, εἴπερ ἐστὶν ἀληθὲς ὡς οἱ ζωγραφεῖν εἰδότες, ὅτε ταῖς πρώταις σκιαῖς τὸ τῶν χρωμάτων πολυειδὲς ἐπαλείφουσιν, οὐκ ἀναιροῦσιν αὐτὰς, ἄγουσι δὲ μᾶλλον εἰς ὄψιν ἐμφανεστέραν. Τοιοῦτόν τι πέπραχεν ὁ Χριστὸς, τὸ παχὺ τῶν τύπων κατισχνῶν εἰς ἀλήθειαν. Ἀλλ' οὐ συνῆκεν ὁ Ἰσραὴλ τὸ μυστήριον, καίτοι καὶ νόμου καὶ προφητῶν πολυτρόπως αὐτὸ προηγορευκότων. Καὶ αὐτοῦ δὲ τοῦ πάντων ἡμῶν Σωτῆρος Χριστοῦ διὰ μυρίων ὅσον ἀποτελεσμάτων ἐννοεῖν ἀναπείθοντος, ὅτι εἰ καὶ πέφηνεν ἄνθρωπος οἰκονομικῶς δι' ἡμᾶς, ἀλλ' οὖν ἐστι καὶ οὕτως ὃ ἦν, Θεὸς δηλονότι. Changing types into the reality they signified was not nullifying, but fulfilling them. A painter, by covering his basic design with a variety of colour, does not destroy it but brings it out more clearly, and this is what Christ did when he transformed the crudity of symbols into the reality they represented. Yet the people of Israel failed to understand this mystery, even though it had been foretold in many ways by both the Law and the Prophets. Indeed, Christ our Saviour himself tried to show them through many marvellous deeds that although for our sake he had become a man according to the divine dispensation, he was still God as he had always been. Διὰ τοῦτο, καὶ τὰ πέρα μέτρου τοῦ καθ' ἡμᾶς ἀπετέλει, καὶ θεοπρεπῶν ἥπτετο μεγαλουργημάτων; νεκροὺς ἀνιστὰς ἐκ μνημάτων, ὀδωδότας ἤδη καὶ διεφθαρμένους· τυφλοῖς ἐνιεὶς τὸ φῶς, ὡς Δημιουργός· πνεύμασιν ἀκαθάρτοις μετ' ἐξουσίας ἐπιτιμῶν· νεύματι λεπροὺς ἀπαλλάττων τοῦ πάθους. Ἕτερά τε πρὸς τούτοις ἀποτελῶν, ἅπαντός ἐστιν ἐπέκεινα καὶ λόγου καὶ θαύματος. Τοιγάρτοι καὶ ἔφασκεν· Εἰ οὐ ποιῶ τὰ ἔργα τοῦ Πατρός μου, μὴ πιστεύετέ μοι. Εἰ δὲ ποιῶ, κἂν ἐμοὶ μὴ πιστεύητε, τοῖς ἔργοις μου πιστεύετε. To help them to realize this he did things that were beyond the power of any man - God alone could perform such miracles. He raised the dead from their graves when they were already in a state of corruption; like the Creator, he made the blind see the light of day; he rebuked unclean spirits with authority; he cured lepers by a word of command; and there were other things he did that were marvellous beyond description. Therefore, if I am not acting as my Father would, he said to them, do not believe in me. But if I am, even if you do not believe in me, accept the evidence of my deeds.

Prayer