Christ Church

The collect for today, the Feast of Saint Martin (c. 316-397), Monk, Bishop of Tours (source):

Lord God of hosts, who didst clothe thy servant Martin the soldier with the spirit of sacrifice, and didst set him as a bishop in thy Church to be a defender of the catholic faith: Give us grace to follow in his holy steps, that at the last we may be found clothed with righteousness in the dwellings of peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

The Lesson: Isaiah 58:6-12
The Gospel: St. Matthew 25:34-40

One of the most popular saints of the Middle Ages, Martin was born to pagan parents and, although intending to become a Christian, followed his father into the Roman army. About three years later, in Amiens, France, came the famous incident portrayed in the artwork seen here.

On a cold winter day, he met a beggar at the city gates. Drawing his sword, he cut his military cloak in two and gave half to the man. In a dream that night, he saw Christ wearing the half-cloak he had given away and saying, “Martin, yet a catechumen, has covered me with his garment”. Martin was baptised shortly thereafter.

After being discharged from the army, he met St. Hilary at Poitiers upon the latter’s return from exile in 360. Hilary provided a piece of land where Martin founded the first monastic community in Gaul. He lived there for ten years until 371, when he reluctantly accepted a call from the people of Tours to become their bishop.

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The collect for today, the Twenty-Third Sunday after Trinity, from The Book of Common Prayer (Canadian, 1962):

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 3:17-21
The Gospel: St Matthew 22:15-22

Artwork: Jacek Malczewski, The Tribute Money, 1908. Oil on canvas, National Museum, Poznan, Poland.

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The collect for today, the Feast of Saint Willibrord (658-739), Archbishop of Utrecht, Apostle to the Frisians, Patron Saint of the Netherlands (source):

O Lord our God, who dost call whom thou willest and send them whither thou choosest: We thank thee for sending thy servant Willibrord to be an apostle to the Low Countries, to turn them from the worship of idols to serve thee, the living God; and we entreat thee to preserve us from the temptation to exchange the perfect freedom of thy service for servitude to false gods and to idols of our own devising; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

The Lesson: Acts 1:1-9
The Gospel: St. Luke 10:1-9

Artwork: Cornelis Bloemaert, The Holy Willibrord, c. 1630, Copper Engraving.

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The collect for today, the commemoration of Richard Hooker (1554-1600), Priest, Anglican Apologist, Teacher of the Faith (source):

O God of truth and peace, who didst raise up thy servant Richard Hooker in a day of bitter controversy to defend with sound reasoning and great charity the catholic and reformed religion: Grant that we may maintain that middle way, not as a compromise for the sake of peace, but as a comprehension for the sake of truth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

The Epistle: 1 Corinthians 2:6-10, 13-16
The Gospel: St. John 17:18-23

Richard Hooker was an English priest, theologian, and philosopher whose writings fundamentally shaped the identity and theological framework of the Church of England. Born around 1554 in Heavitree, near Exeter, he grew up during the reign of Elizabeth I, when the Church of England was still defining its identity after the Reformation. Hooker provided the intellectual foundation for what would become known as the Anglican via media (middle way)–a synthesis of Catholic tradition and Protestant Reformed theology grounded in reason and natural law.

With the support of John Jewel, Bishop of Salisbury, he entered Corpus Christi College, Oxford, in 1568. His academic training occurred during a period of intense religious flux, where the humanist tradition encouraged a critical and systematic approach to texts. This intellectual background heavily influenced his later insistence that human reason was a divine gift intended to complement, rather than contradict, divine revelation. His education extended beyond theology: he engaged with Scripture, the early Church Fathers, classical learning, and medieval philosophy. He became a fellow of Corpus Christi College in 1577 and was ordained a priest in the Church of England in 1579.

After taking holy orders, Hooker served in various pastoral posts, most notably Master of the Temple Church in London from 1585. It was at the Temple Church that Hooker found himself at the epicenter of England’s chief religious debate.

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The collect for today, The Commemoration of the Faithful Departed, commonly called All Souls’ Day (source):

O God, the Maker and Redeemer of all believers: Grant to the faithful departed the unsearchable benefits of the passion of thy Son; that on the day of his appearing they may be manifested as thy children; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

The Epistle: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
The Gospel: St. John 5:24-27

Artwork: John Martin, The Plains of Heaven, 1853. Oil on canvas, Tate Britain, London.

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