Readings and Reflections

 "The issue now is clear. It is between light and darkness and everyon must choose his side." — G. K. Chesterton 

There are only two kinds of people in the world: saints, who know they are sinners, and sinners who think they are saints. Your entrance card to Doctor Jesus’ office is your spiritual sickness; He treats only the needy. Do you qualify?

—Peter Kreeft from his book The Man Who Left His Mark: How Mark’s Gospel Answers Modern Questions

Private prayer is like straw scattered here and there: If you set it on fire, it makes a lot of little flames. But gather these straws into a bundle and light them, and you get a mighty fire, rising like a column into the sky; public prayer is like that.

— St. John Vianney

God does not excuse, He forgives. If we do not know the difference between those two things, we probably misunderstand both. Excusing is very easy and cheap; forgiving is very hard and costly. We are the Church of the costly Cross, not the Church of Cheap Grace.

— Peter Kreeft

from Wisdom from the Psalms 

23rd Sunday after Trinity 

The Collect

 O GOD, our refuge and strength, who art the author of all godliness; Be ready, we beseech thee, to hear the devout prayers of thy Church; and grant that those things which we ask faithfully we may obtain effectually; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

The Epistle

Philippians 3:17

 BRETHREN, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample. (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.) For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself. 

The Gospel

St. Matthew 17:15

 THEN went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk. And they sent out unto him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the person of men. Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Cæsar, or not? But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites? Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny. And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? They say unto him, Cesar's. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Cæsar the things which are Cæsar's; and unto God the things that are God's. When they had heard these words, they marvelled, and left him, and went their way.