Epistle Reading: 1 Timothy 1:1-7
Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God
our Savior and the Lord Jesus Christ, our hope,
To Timothy, my true son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and
peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.
As I urged you when I went into Macedonia; remain in
Ephesus that you may charge some that they teach no other doctrine,
nor give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which
cause disputes rather than godly edification which is in faith.
Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure
heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith,
from which some, having strayed, have turned aside to idle
talk,
desiring to be teachers of the law, understanding neither
what they say nor the things which they affirm.
Gospel Reading: Luke 12:13-15,22-31
Then one from the crowd said to Him, "Teacher, tell my brother
to divide the inheritance with me."
But He said to him, "Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator
over you?"
And He said to them, "Take heed and beware of covetousness,
for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses."
And He said to His disciples, "Therefore I say to you, do not
worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will
put on.
"Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.
"Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which
have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more
value are you than the birds?
"And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his
stature?
"If you then are not able to do the least, why are you
anxious for the rest?
"Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor
spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed
like one of these.
"If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the
field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe
you, O you of little faith?
"And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink,
nor have an anxious mind.
"For all these things the nations of the world seek after,
and your Father knows that you need these things.
"But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be
added to you.
Saints and Feasts
Paul the Confessor, Patriarch of Constantinople; Luke the Monk of Taormina
