“More desirable than gold,
than a hoard of purest gold,
Sweeter also than honey
or drippings from the comb.” (Psalm 19, 11.)
Saint Basil the Great offers the following insight on this verse from today's Responsorial Psalm:
“Renunciation [is] the severance of the bonds of this material and transient life and freedom from human concerns, whereby we render ourselves more fit to set out on the road leading to God. It is the unhindered impulse toward the possession and enjoyment of inestimable goods, “more to be desired than gold and many precious stones.” In short, it is the transference of the human heart to a heavenly mode of life, so that we can say, “But our conversation is in heaven.” Also — and this is the chief point — it is the first step toward the likeness to Christ, who, being rich, became poor for our sake. Unless we attain to this likeness, it is impossible for us to achieve a way of life in accord with the gospel of Christ.” (The Long Rules, Q. 8)
Collect
Grant us, O Lord, we pray,
that the course of our world
may be directed by your peaceful rule
and that your Church may rejoice,
untroubled in her devotion.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
Who lives and reigns with You
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
that the course of our world
may be directed by your peaceful rule
and that your Church may rejoice,
untroubled in her devotion.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
Who lives and reigns with You
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Glory to the Father
and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and will be forever. Amen
