“... may grace and peace be yours in abundance through knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord....” (2 Peter 1:2-7.)
In commenting on these verses from today’s First Reading, Saint John Chrysostom writes:
“There is nothing to equal this, which is why we pray and seek after the angel of peace. Everywhere we pray for peace in the churches—in the prayers, in the supplications and in the sermons. And the Guardian of the church gives it to us not once or twice but many times over: “Peace be unto you.” Why? Because peace is the mother of all good things and the foundation of our joy. For this reason Christ taught his disciples that when they entered people’s houses they were to say: “Peace be unto you.” Without peace everything else is useless.” (Catena)
Collect
O God,
Whose providence never fails in its design,
keep from us, we humbly beseech You,
all that might harm us
and grant all that works for our good.
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.
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.
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
