The Conversion of Saint Paul

The Collect
O God, by the preaching of your apostle Paul you have caused the light of the Gospel to shine throughout the world: Grant, we pray, that we, having his wonderful conversion in remembrance, may show ourselves thankful to you by following his holy teaching; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

The Psalm
67

The Readings
Acts 26:9-21     +     Galatians 1:11-24     +     Matthew 10:16-22

Let the peoples praise you, O God;
     let all the peoples praise you.
Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
     for you judge the peoples with equity

     and guide all the nations upon earth.

~Psalm 67:3-4

This feast closes the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which began with the feast of the Confession of St. Peter. But it is always a good time to pray for that unity for which Jesus himself prayed. Such unity, according to Jesus, is bound up with our witness to all the world: that unity in love will shine the light of the gospel to those who long to hear it, while our continued and often petty disagreements only give people a reason to discount what we say, including the message of life we are meant to bear.
"I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me . . . and have loved them even as you have loved me." (John 17:20-21,23)

Closing Prayer
Lord Jesus, with you we pray: grant that we and all your people may be one, united in you, and drawn by you into the depth of the Father's love. Amen.

+ + +

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity included a closing ecumenical vespers at the tomb of St. Paul in Rome, with Pope Francis praying together with clergy from Anglican, Orthodox, and other churches.

A video of the vespers may be accessed here. It's lengthy, but skip ahead to 1:02:05 to see Pope Francis shake hands with the Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of East Tennessee, the Rt. Rev. Brian L. Cole.

The Confession of Saint Peter

The Collect
Almighty Father, who inspired Simon Peter, first among the apostles, to confess Jesus as Messiah and Son of the living God: Keep your Church steadfast upon the rock of this faith, so that in unity and peace we may proclaim the one truth and follow the one Lord, our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.


The Psalm
23


The Readings
Acts 4:8-13     +     I Peter 5:1-4     +     Matthew 16:13-19

He said to them, But who do you say that I am? Simon Peter answered, You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered him, Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven.
~Matthew 16:15-17

The eight days from the Confession of St. Peter on 18 January to the Conversion of St. Paul on 25 January mark the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. To begin, here is part of a prayer from Paul Couturier's 'Ecumenical Testament':

'Lord, under the intolerable weight of distress caused by the separations between Christians, my heart fails. I have confidence in thee, O Christ, who has overcome the world. It is the property of love to produce a blind confidence in the beloved. My confidence in thee is boundless, and rightly so, since thou art almighty . . . My confidence in thee, O Christ, throws me into thy heart where I find thy prayer, "Father, that they may be one, that the world may believe that thou hast sent me, Father, that they may be made perfect in one." . . . Then how will Unity come about? What obstacles are to be overcome? It is thy work: my faith can only bid me pray with thee and in thee, that thy Unity may come, the unity which thou hast not ceased to desire, which thou dost continue to prepare . . . This is a simple and loyal way of prayer. It is a meeting-place where, by virtue of charity, the prayers for unity of all true sons of love, all true Christians, even though separated, may flow together into the heart of Christ . . . and makes it possible for us all to rest together in the heart of Christ.'

Closing Prayer
Almighty Father, whose blessed Son before his passion prayed for his disciples that they might be one, as you and he are one: Grant that your Church, being bound together in love and obedience to you, may be united in one body by the one Spirit, that the world may believe in him whom you have sent, your Son Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

~from the Book of Common Prayer, p. 255

Additional prayers for the unity and mission of the church may be found in the Book of Common Prayer, beginning on page 816, especially no. 14 (p. 818), and the final collect for Noonday Prayer (p. 107). 

More about this year's Week of Prayer for Christian Unity here.

The Epiphany of our Lord Jesus Christ

The Collect
O God, by the leading of a star you manifested your only Son to the peoples of the earth: Lead us, who know you now by faith, to your presence, where we may see your glory face to face; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

The Psalm
72

The Readings
Isaiah 60:1-6, 9     +     Ephesians 3:1-12     +     Matthew 2:1-12

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.
~Matthew 2:10-11a

From a sermon by Launcelot Andrewes, given Christmas Day, 1620:

These that came from the East were Gentiles, and that concerns us, for so are we. We may then look out, if we can see this star. It is ours . . . They came a long journey, and they came an uneasy journey; they came a dangerous journey ad they came now, at the worst season of the year. They stayed not their coming till the opening of the year, till they might have better weather and way, and have longer days and so more seasonable and fit to travel in. So desirous were they to come with the first, and to be there as soon as they possibly might; broke through all these difficulties, and behold, come they did.

And we, what excuse shall we have if we come not? (For) . . . to come to Christ is one of the wisest parts that ever these wise men did. And if they and we be wise in one Spirit, we will follow the same star, tread the same way, and so come at last whither they are happily gone before us.

And how shall we do that? In the old ritual of the church we find that on the cover of the canister wherein was the sacrament of his body, there was a star engraven, to show us that now the star leads us thither, to his body there. So what shall I say now, but according as St. John saith, and the star, and the wise men say, 'Come.' And he whose star it is, and to whom the wise men came, saith 'Come.' And let them that are disposed 'Come' and let whosoever will take of the Bread of life which came down from heaven to Bethlehem, the house of bread.

Closing Prayer

Almighty God, who made known the Incarnation of thy Word by a star of stunning brilliance, which the wise men followed until they came to worship and offer their treasures before the infant Lord resting in his mother's arms; grant that the star of thy righteousness may always appear in our hearts to lead us and to inspire us to offer the treasure of our praise and the worship of lives that reflect thy goodness; through him whose birth among us is our hope. Amen.
~from Saint Augustine's Prayer Book, p. 219

The Holy Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ

The Collect
Eternal Father, you gave to your incarnate Son the holy name of Jesus to be the sign of our salvation: Plant in every heart, we pray, the love of him who is the Savior of the world, our Lord Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

The Psalm
8

The Readings
Numbers 6:22-27     +     Galatians 4:4-7     +     Luke 2:15-21

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.
~Luke 2:19-21

On civil calendars today is New Year's Day. But the church's new year began back on the first Sunday of Advent. Today, it is the octave of Christmas, eight days after the celebration of the Nativity of Our Lord, and we celebrate his naming. We are midway through this Christmastide, in which we are given twelve days to celebrate and contemplate the mystery of the Incarnation; like Mary, to ponder these things deeply in our heart.

The holy Name of Jesus, given by the angel, means literally, the LORD is salvation. And so, we begin each year with the Holy Name of Jesus, the Name by which we proclaim God's salvation for us as often as we confess him. 

May all your days in the year to come be blessed by Jesus, the One who is our peace.

Closing Prayer

O Lord, whose years are without end and who dwells in the light of an unending day: as we begin this year in your Name, grant us wisdom to use our time wisely, that your love may be the beginning and ending of all our hopes, our work, our joy, and our desires. Amen.
~from Saint Augustine's Prayer Book