Patrick Comerford
Easter is a 50-day season that continues until the Day of Pentecost. The week began with the Fourth Sunday of Easter (Easter IV), although, as I was reminded in Crete in recent days, this is still the Season of Great Lent in the Greek Orthodox Church.
Throughout this Season of Easter, my morning reflections each day include the daily Gospel reading, the prayer in the USPG prayer diary, and the prayers in the Collects and Post-Communion Prayer of the day.
I am back in Stony Stratford, after five of six days in Rethymnon on an extended weekend in Crete since last Wednesday. I caught a flight from Chania to Luton last night.
The Calendar of the Church of England in Common Worship today celebrates Saint George (ca 304), Patron of England. Later, this evening, I hope to take part in the annual meetings for the Parish of Saint Mary and Saint Giles in Stony Stratford. At the same time Saint George’s Day is being celebrated as patronal festival at Saint George’s Church in Wolverton, with a traditional agape meal within the Holy Communion service, starting at 7:30.
But, before this day begins, I am taking some quiet time this morning to give thanks, including thanks for safe travelling, for reflection, prayer and reading in these ways:
1, today’s Gospel reading;
2, a prayer from the USPG prayer diary;
3, the Collects and Post-Communion prayer of the day.
John 15: 18-21 (NRSVA):
[Jesus said:] 18 ‘If the world hates you, be aware that it hated me before it hated you. 19 If you belonged to the world, the world would love you as its own. Because you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world – therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you, “Servants are not greater than their master.” If they persecuted me, they will persecute you; if they kept my word, they will keep yours also. 21 But they will do all these things to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me.’
Today’s Prayers (Tuesday 23 April 2024):
The theme this week in ‘Pray With the World Church,’ the Prayer Diary of the Anglican mission agency USPG (United Society Partners in the Gospel), is ‘Living by faith is hard, and it is never the obvious path.’ This theme was introduced on Sunday with an extract taken from a sermon by the Revd Chris Parkman, Chaplain at Saint John’s Menton, and volunteer for A Rocha France at Les Courmettes.
The USPG Prayer Diary today (23 April 2024, Saint George) invites us to pray:
Let us pray for the Church of England and churches in Ethiopia and Georgia.
The Collect:
God of hosts,
who so kindled the flame of love
in the heart of your servant George
that he bore witness to the risen Lord
by his life and by his death:
give us the same faith and power of love
that we who rejoice in his triumphs
may come to share with him the fullness of the resurrection;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Post Communion Prayer:
God our redeemer,
whose Church was strengthened
by the blood of your martyr George:
so bind us, in life and death, to Christ’s sacrifice
that our lives, broken and offered with his,
may carry his death and proclaim his resurrection in the world;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Yesterday’s reflection
Continued Tomorrow
Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition copyright © 1989, 1995, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. http://nrsvbibles.org
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