“One night in a vision the Lord said to Paul, “Do not be afraid. Go on speaking, and do not be silent ...” (Acts 18:9.)
In commenting on these verses from today’s First Reading, Didymus the Blind writes:
“In Corinth, God appeared in a vision to the apostle and urged him not to be afraid to teach, and he made clear to him the reason why he should speak and not be silent, namely that, in that town, there were many that God knew would receive the proclamation of the gospel. For since it was natural that Paul, being human, was afraid of some attack against himself, seeing that then nearly everyone there was still pagan, God encourages and rouses the teacher to be brave by saying, “I am with you and will prevent anybody from attempting to harm you, so that nobody lays a hand on you.” (Catena on the Acts of the Apostles, 18.)
Collect
O God,
Who restore us to eternal life
in the Resurrection of Christ,
raise us up, we pray, to the Author of our salvation,
Who is seated at Your right hand,
so that, when our Savior comes again in majesty,
those You have given new birth in Baptism
may be clothed with blessed immortality.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
Who lives and reigns with You
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Who restore us to eternal life
in the Resurrection of Christ,
raise us up, we pray, to the Author of our salvation,
Who is seated at Your right hand,
so that, when our Savior comes again in majesty,
those You have given new birth in Baptism
may be clothed with blessed immortality.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
Who lives and reigns with You
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
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
