Saint Simon and Saint Jude, Apostles

The Collect of the Day
O God, we thank you for the glorious company of the apostles, and especially on this day for Simon and Jude; and we pray that, as they were faithful and zealous in their mission, so we may with ardent devotion make known the love and mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Psalm
119:89-96

The Readings
Deuteronomy 32:1-4     +     Ephesians 2:13-22     +     John 15:17-27

In today's collect, we pray that, following the example of the holy apostles, "we may with ardent devotion make known the love and mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." What might this look like in your life?

For Moses, it meant a desire to have his teaching "drop like the rain . . . condense like the dew; like gentle rain on grass, like showers on new growth"--a beautiful image of the life-giving power of the word of God proclaimed.

For the psalmist, that same teaching--the law, the word of the Lord--was eternal, faithful, all-encompassing. As such, it was a source of delight to be enjoyed, but also a treasure to be mined, that the servant of the Lord might better proclaim God's greatness.

For Paul, the "ardent devotion" of those who proclaim the gospel is but a mirror of the great work of God in Christ, who "came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and to those who were near." Disciples of Jesus follow their Lord's example, and the life of Jesus is one of proclamation, in word and action, of the reconciling love of God that breaks down hostile divisions and makes all things new.

To the apostles gathered with Jesus on the night he was betrayed, Jesus told them of the coming of the Holy Spirit, "the Advocate" who would testify to the truth, and he charged them also to testify because they had been with him "from the beginning." The apostles knew Jesus, and were to proclaim the gospel based on that intimate knowledge that comes from personal relationship.

Consider your own desires, gifts, knowledge, and experience. How might God be calling you to proclaim the love and mercy of Jesus Christ with ardent devotion?

Closing Prayer

Lord Jesus, thank you for the love and mercy you bring into our lives. Help us to know how to manifest that love and mercy in our own lives, that your gospel may be proclaimed to all we meet.
Amen.

Saint James of Jerusalem, Brother of Our Lord, and Martyr

The Collect of the Day

Grant, O God, that, following the example of your servant James the Just, brother of our Lord, your Church may give itself continually to prayer and to the reconciliation of all who are at variance and enmity; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

The Psalm
1

The Readings

Acts 15:12-22a     +     1 Corinthians 15:1-11      +      Matthew 13:54-58

All the apostles and elders kept silence, and listened to Barnabas and Paul as they told of all the signs and wonders that God had done through them among the Gentiles. After they finished speaking, James replied, “My brothers, listen to me..."
~Acts 15:12-13

The James we remember today, called 'the Just' and 'the brother of the Lord,' is believed to have been one of the brothers of Jesus mentioned in the Gospels. He apparently became a believer after the resurrection, and was thereafter one of the leaders in the church's first days. As the first bishop ('overseer') of the church in Jerusalem, he presided over a council, as recorded in Acts, that addressed the pressing issue of the day: how should the church approach and incorporate Gentiles into the community? It was a potentially explosive question that threatened to divide the church, and it is to James' credit that his wisdom helped chart a way forward that was both faithful and inclusive in its reconciliation. James listened to both sides--and he listened to the Holy Spirit.

  

We live in a time in which keeping silence and really listening seem to be in short supply. Everywhere there is noise, arguing, interrupting. We do not listen to what another is saying, or give them the benefit of the doubt, but instead internally formulate our rebuttal while our "opponent" is speaking. The breakdown of substantive political discourse in favor of shouting down and speaking over others is a symptom of a troubling lack in our society and in our souls that is not limited to election time.

Today, be intentional in going against the grain of this trend. No one of us can change society overnight. But we can pray for grace to grow within us; we can cultivate silence in our souls that will allow us to better hear God and one another; we can honor the dignity of our sisters and brothers by really listening to them, and honor ourselves by expecting the same respect from others. It is in such listening and speaking that the wonders of God may be made manifest--the reconciliation to which God calls us.

Closing Prayer
O God, thank you for giving us examples, like James, of leaders whose strength is in their wise and compassionate understanding. Help us to make space in our lives for your holy wisdom, that we may make space for others; this we pray in the Name of the one who is our peace, Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.

An icon of 'Holy Apostles James, Brother of the Lord' 
presiding as bishop in the eucharistic liturgy

Saint Luke the Evangelist

(transferred from October 18)

The Collect of the Day
Almighty God, who inspired your servant Luke the physician to set forth in the Gospel the love and healing power of your Son: Graciously continue in your Church this love and power to heal, to the praise and glory of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.


The Psalm
147


The Readings
Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) 38:1-4, 6-10, 12-14    +    2 Timothy 4:5-13    +    Luke 4:14-21

Do the work of an evangelist, carry out your ministry fully.
~ 2 Tim. 4:5


Luke, the traditional author of the Gospel that bears his name and its sequel, the Acts of the Apostles, is supposed also to have been a physician by trade (according to an attribution by Paul in his closing remarks to the Colossians). The collect and readings for this day emphasize this two-fold nature of Luke's identity: "beloved physician" and evangelist (lit., "preacher of the good news").

It's not difficult to hold together these two vocations--the one seeks to heal the body, which is a part of the other, a proclamation of total healing. The gospel is good news because it announces the healing and wholeness God intends for us. This is how Jesus, quoting Isaiah, announces the inauguration of his ministry in Luke's Gospel:
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

This holistic vision is at the center of the good news of Jesus Christ. We may have a tendency to set the physical and the spiritual in opposition to each other, but the gospel allows for no neglect--to prioritize either one to the detriment of the other misses the totality of the healing that God offers. Our definition of evangelism is often too narrow. Evangelism is nothing less than the proclamation of God's healing of the world in and through Christ.

Such all-encompassing good news is sorely needed today in our bifurcated and suffering world. And it demands all kinds of messengers. It is not only "professional" evangelists, or clergy, who are called to proclaim the gospel. It is not only doctors and nurses who are called to a ministry of healing. Paul was a tent-maker. Peter was a fisherman. All the saints, by virtue of our baptism, are called to do the work of an evangelist and to carry out our ministries fully.

 

Closing Prayers
Jesus, thank you for the healing you bring to our world. Help us to see you at work around us and within us. Help us to engage in our work in such a way that it may be a vehicle for proclaiming in varied and wonderful ways the good news of your salvation. Amen.

And in this time of pandemic, here is a prayer For Doctors and Nurses, page 460 of the BCP:

Sanctify, O Lord, those whom you have called to the study and practice of the arts of healing, and to the prevention of disease and pain. Strengthen them by your life-giving Spirit, that by their ministries the health of the community may be promoted and your creation glorified; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

An icon of St. Luke, depicting him writing his Gospel,
with some implements of his trade as physician on a nearby table.

The Litany of Saints

This litany of saints, based on the traditional litany, comes from Saint Augustine's Prayer Book, a book of prayer and practice intended as a companion and supplement to the Book of Common Prayer. A revised version of the traditional book was recently published by Forward Movement, a publishing ministry of the Episcopal Church. This litany, whether prayed publicly or privately, places the mystery of faith within the "great cloud of witnesses" into whose fellowship we are welcomed, and with whom we proclaim the Resurrection. If desired, the response might be adapted to "pray with us," indicating the mutual prayer uniting Christ's whole church.

The Litany of Saints, adapted with Anglican worthies

Lord, have mercy upon us.

Christ, have mercy upon us.

Lord, have mercy upon us.

O God the Father, creator of heaven and earth,

    have mercy upon us.

O God the Son, redeemer of the world,

    have mercy upon us.

O God the Holy Spirit, sanctifier of the faithful,

    have mercy upon us.

O Holy Trinity, one God,

    have mercy upon us.

Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us.

Holy Michael the Archangel, pray for us.

All holy angels and archangels, pray for us.

All holy orders of blessed spirits, pray for us.

Holy Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, pray for us.

Holy Miriam, Moses, and Aaron, pray for us.

Holy Ruth and Naomi, pray for us.

Holy David, Samuel, and Elijah, pray for us.

Holy Zachariah and Elizabeth, pray for us.

Holy Joachim and Anne, pray for us.

Holy John the Baptist, pray for us.

Holy Joseph, pray for us.

All holy patriarchs and prophets, pray for us.

Holy Peter and Paul, pray for us.

Holy Andrew, James, and John, pray for us.

Holy Matthew, Mark, and Luke, pray for us.

Holy Mary Magdalene, pray for us.

All apostles, disciples, and evangelists, pray for us.

Holy Stephen, pray for us.

Holy Ignatius of Antioch, pray for us.

Holy Polycarp, pray for us.

Holy Alban, pray for us.

Holy Perpetua and Felicity, pray for us.

Holy Thomas Cranmer and William Laud, pray for us.

Holy Constance and Companions, pray for us.

Holy Jonathan Daniels and Martin Luther King, Jr., pray for us.

All ye holy martyrs of our God, pray for us.

Holy Gregory and Chrysostom, pray for us.

Holy Augustine, pray for us.

Holy Basil, pray for us.

Holy Martin, pray for us.

Holy Columba, Aidan, and Patrick, pray for us.

All ye holy bishops, confessors, and doctors, pray for us.

Holy Anthony, pray for us.

Holy Benedict, pray for us.

Holy Aelred and Hilda, pray for us.

Holy Augustine and Theodore, pray for us.

Holy Anselm and Thomas a' Becket, pray for us.

Holy Francis, Clare, and Dominic, pray for us.

Holy Julian of Norwich, pray for us.

Holy Richard Hooker and Lancelot Andrewes, pray for us.

Holy Nicholas Ferrar and George Herbert, pray for us.

Holy John Keble and Edward Pusey, pray for us.

Holy Fredrick Maurice and Charles Gore, pray for us.

Holy James Huntington and Richard Benson, pray for us.

Other saints may be added as well

All holy priests and deacons, pray for us.

All holy monks and hermits, pray for us.

All holy men and women, saints of God, pray for us.

From all evil and from all sin,

    Good Lord, deliver us.

From the crafts and assaults of the devil,

    Good Lord, deliver us.

From everlasting damnation,

    Good Lord, deliver us.

By your holy incarnation,

    Good Lord, deliver us.

By your holy nativity,

    Good Lord, deliver us.

By your baptism, fasting, and temptation,

    Good Lord, deliver us.

By your cross and passion,

    Good Lord, deliver us.

By your death and burial,

    Good Lord, deliver us.

By your glorious resurrection and wondrous ascension,

    Good Lord, deliver us.

By the outpouring of your Holy Spirit, 

    Good Lord, deliver us.

By your coming again in glory,

    Good Lord, deliver us.

That there may be peace among all nations and an end to poverty, famine, and disaster,

    we pray to you, O Lord.

That all peoples may come to know you in the fulness of your grace,

    we pray to you, O Lord.

That the Church throughout the world may be renewed and strengthened 

    for your service,

    we pray to you, O Lord.

For all those commended to our prayers, and those in any need or trouble, 

    that they may be relieved and protected,

    we pray to you, O Lord.

The litany may conclude here, with this or some other collect

O God, the King of saints, we praise and glorify your holy Name for all your servants who have finished their course in your faith and fear: for the blessed Virgin Mary; for the holy patriarchs, prophets, apostles, and martyrs; and for all your other righteous servants, known to us and unknown; and we pray that, encouraged by their examples, aided by their prayers, and strengthened by their fellowship, we also may be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light; through the merits of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

                    - The Book of Common Prayer, p. 504