Today’s October 9th Reading

Today in the Anglican/Episcopal Kalendar is the Feast Day of Blessed Robert Grosseteste, bishop and in the Russain/OCA Kalendar it is the Feast Day of St James the Apostle and that of St Andronicus and his wife Athanasia. In both the Russain/OCA and Coptic Kalendar the following martyrs are commemorated: St Denis of Paris, St Publia the Deaconess of Antioch, Sts Juventinus and Maximus who were both Roman Soldiers and Sts Arbsima and Agatha along with their sisters. In the Roman Kalendar it is the Feast of Blessed John Henry Newman. May these and all the Holy Companions given to us as Witnesses pray with and for us through Jesus Christ Our Lord Amen+

Today’s Collect, amended, and the Readings including the Gospel are taken form the BCP.

The Collect

O God, our heavenly Father, who raised up your faithful servant Robert Grosseteste to be a bishop and pastor in your Church and to feed your flock: Give abundantly to all pastors the gifts of your Holy Spirit, that they may minister with the assistance of the prayers of your servant, Blessed Robert, in your household as true servants of Christ and stewards of your divine mysteries; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Acts 20:28-32

Keep watch over yourselves and over all the flock, of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God that he obtained with the blood of his own Son. I know that after I have gone, savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Some even from your own group will come distorting the truth in order to entice the disciples to follow them. Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to warn everyone with tears. And now I commend you to God and to the message of his grace, a message that is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all who are sanctified.

Perhaps one of the greatest indictment of the counterfeit version of Christianity called American evangelical faith and of so called free market capitalism is in today’s Gospel passage.

Luke 16:10-15

Jesus said, “Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much. If then you have not been faithful with the dishonest wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to another, who will give you what is your own? No slave can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”

The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all this, and they ridiculed him. So he said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of others; but God knows your hearts; for what is prized by human beings is an abomination in the sight of God.”

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