Prayer Before Reading Holy Scripture
O Master Who loves mankind, illuminate our hearts with the pure light of Your divine knowledge and open the eyes of our mind to understand the teachings of Your Gospel. Instill in us also the fear of Your blessed commandments, that we may overcome all carnal desires, entering upon a spiritual life and understanding and acting in all things according to Your holy will. For You are the enlightenment of our souls and bodies, O Christ God, and to You we give glory together with Your eternal Father and Your all-holy, gracious and life-giving Spirit, now and ever and forever. Amen.
Epistle Reading: Ephesians 5:25-33
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the
church and gave Himself for it,
that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of
water by the word,
that He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not
having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and
without blemish.
So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own
bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself.
For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and
cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church.
For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His
bones.
"For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother
and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh."
This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and
the church.
Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his
own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.
Gospel Reading: Luke 6:46-7:1
"But why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do the things
which I say?
"Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I
will show you whom he is like:
"He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the
foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat
vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded
on the rock.
"But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a
house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat
vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great."
Now when He concluded all His sayings in the hearing of the
people, He entered Capernaum.
Saints and Feasts
Sergius & Bacchus the Great Martyrs of Syria; Polychronios the Martyr; Julian the Presbyter & Caesarius the Deacon; John the Hermit of Crete; Jonah of Manchuria
