Category: Prayers and liturgy

The Collect for today, the Holy Day of the Transfiguration of Our Lord, from The Book of Common Prayer (Canadian, 1962):

O GOD, who on the holy mount didst reveal to chosen witnesses thy well-beloved Son wonderfully transfigured: Mercifully grant unto us such a vision of his divine majesty, that we, being purified and strengthened by thy grace, may be transformed into his likeness from glory to glory; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Epistle: 2 St. Peter 1:16-21
The Gospel: St. Matthew 17:1-9

Artwork: Giovanni Bellini, Transfiguration, c. 1455-60. Tempera on panel, Museo Correr, Venice.

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The collect for today, the Feast of St. Oswald (d. 642), King of Northumbria, Martyr (source):

O Lord God almighty,
who didst so kindle the faith of thy servant King Oswald with thy Spirit
that he set up the sign of the cross in his kingdom
and turned his people to the light of Christ:
grant that we, being fired by the same Spirit,
may ever bear our cross before the world
and be found faithful servants of the gospel;
through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord,
who liveth and reigneth with thee,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.

With the Epistle and Gospel for a Martyr from The Book of Common Prayer (Canadian, 1962):
The Epistle: 1 St. Peter 4:12-19
The Gospel: St. Matthew 16:24-27

In AD 635, the army of Prince Oswald defeated the forces of pagan king Caedwalla of Gwynedd (north Wales) at the Battle of Heavenfield (near present-day Hexham, Northumberland). Oswald was a Christian and nephew of King Edwin, the man Caedwalla had defeated a few years earlier to conquer the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Northumbria. Heavenfield proved to be a key battle in English history for it marked the end of paganism as a religious and political force in England.

Knowing that the fate of his kingdom would be decided on the following day, Oswald had a wooden cross erected beside which he and his men knelt and prayed to the Lord for victory. The badly outnumbered Christian soldiers defeated their apparently over-confident adversaries, and Oswald became King of Northumbria.

After his victory, Oswald invited monks to come from Iona and establish a monastery at Lindisfarne, the Holy Island. This was to become one of England’s most important centres of Christian scholarship and evangelism.

King Oswald was killed in battle in 642 defending his land and people against the pagan king Penda of Mercia.

Artwork: St. Oswald, King & Martyr, 19th-century stained glass, from the East window, North transept, Cartmel Priory, Cumbria, England. Photograph taken by admin, 9 August 2004.

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

GRANT to us, Lord, we beseech thee, the spirit to think and do always such things as be rightful; that we, who cannot do any thing that is good without thee, may by thee be enabled to live according to thy will; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Epistle: 1 Corinthians 10:1-13
The Gospel: St. Luke 16:1-9

Artwork: Jan Luyken (1649-1712), Parable of the Unjust Steward, engraving, Bowyer Bible.

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The collect for a Martyr, in commemoration of the Maccabean Martyrs (d. 166 B.C.), from The Book of Common Prayer (Canadian, 1962):

Almighty God, by whose grace and power thy Martyrs the Holy Maccabees were enabled to witness to the truth and to be faithful unto death: Grant that we, who now remember them before thee, may likewise so bear witness unto thee in this world, that we may receive with them the crown of glory that fadeth not away; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with thee and the Holy Spirit liveth and reigneth, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Epistle: Hebrews 11:29-12:2
The Gospel: St Luke 12:49-56

The Seven Holy Maccabean Martyrs are seven Jewish brothers who were tortured and killed by the order of Antiochus Epiphanes in 166 B.C. for refusing to participate in idolatrous worship and eat illicit food in violation of God’s laws. Their teacher, Eleazar the scribe, was also martyred at that time. Their mother was forced to watch her sons being cruelly put to death, and then she died. The Eastern Orthodox Church venerates her as St Solomonia.

In 2 Maccabees, the account of Eleazar’s martyrdom is followed by the story of the seven brothers who submitted to martyrdom rather than transgress God’s law. One after another, they stated their willingness to be tortured and die based on a firm hope that God would raise them from the dead.

The episode can be found in 2 Maccabees 6:18-31 and 7:1-42. The valour of the Maccabean Martyrs is celebrated by the writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews.

Artwork: Giustino Menescardi, Martyrdom of the Maccabean Brothers (detail), 18th cent. Oil on canvas, Scuola Grande dei Carmini, Venice. Photograph taken by admin, 10 May 2010.

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The collect for today, the commemoration of William Wilberforce (1759-1833), English MP, Social Reformer, Abolitionist (source):

Let thy continual mercy, O Lord, enkindle in thy Church the never-failing gift of charity, that, following the example of thy servant William Wilberforce, we may have grace to defend the children of the poor, and maintain the cause of those who have no helper; for the sake of him who gave his life for us, thy Son our Savior Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, now and for ever.

The Epistle: Galatians 3:23-29
The Gospel: St. Matthew 25:31-40

Artwork: Samuel Joseph, William Wilberforce, 1840. Westminster Abbey, London.

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The collect for today, the Feast of Saint Olaf (c. 995-1030), Patron Saint of Norway (source):

Almighty God, Who didst enable Thy faithful soldier and servant Olaf to play the man and upon sea and land to endure hardness and to fight the good fight of the faith: Grant unto us whom Thou hast called to serve under Thy banner a single heart to spend and be spent for Thee, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Epistle: 1 St Peter 4:12-19
The Gospel: St Matthew 16:24-27

Saint Olaf of Norway, also known as Olaf II Haraldsson, was one of the most important figures in Norwegian history. Born around 995, he came from royal Viking stock and spent part of his youth as a raider and warrior across northern Europe. His life changed dramatically around 1013 during a visit to Normandy, where he encountered Christianity and was baptised in Rouen.

In 1015, Olaf returned to Norway and claimed the throne, determined to unite the country under one Christian kingdom. He worked hard to spread Christianity by building churches, supporting missionaries, and encouraging his people to adopt the new faith. He also introduced laws based on Christian principles, promoting justice and order throughout the kingdom. His religious code of 1024 marked Norway’s first national legislation. Although many local chieftains opposed his reforms, Olaf remained determined to strengthen both the monarchy and the Christian Church.

Political conflicts eventually forced Olaf into exile. In 1030, he returned to Norway in an attempt to regain his throne but was defeated and killed at the Battle of Stiklestad. Soon after his death, many people believed that miracles occurred at his burial site. These reports led to his canonization in 1031, and he was honored as Saint Olaf, patron saint of Norway.

Artwork: Unknown sculptor, Saint Olaf, c. 1470. Museum für Kunst und Kulturgeschichte de Hansestadt (St. Anne’s Museum), Lübeck, Germany.

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

O God, whose never-failing providence ordereth all things both in heaven and earth: We humbly beseech thee to put away from us all hurtful things, and to give us those things which be profitable for us; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Epistle: Romans 8:12-17
The Gospel: St. Matthew 7:15-21

Artwork: Fortunino Matania (1881-1963), Sermon on the Mount, Private collection.

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The collect for today, the Feast of St. James the Apostle, from The Book of Common Prayer (Canadian, 1962):

GRANT, O merciful God, that as thine holy Apostle Saint James, leaving his father and all that he had, without delay was obedient unto the calling of thy Son Jesus Christ, and followed him; so we, forsaking all worldly and carnal affections, may be evermore ready to follow thy holy commandments; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Lesson: Acts 11:27-12:3a
The Gospel: St. Mark 10:32-40

Saint James the Greater was one of the Twelve Apostles chosen by Jesus Christ and is remembered as a devoted disciple, missionary, and the first apostle to die for the Christian faith. He and the Apostle John were sons of Zebedee, a fisherman. James was among the first disciples called by Jesus when the latter encountered the brothers at the Sea of Galilee (Matthew 4:21). Jesus saw them mending nets in their boat, and “immediately they left their boat and their father and followed him” (Mark 1:19–20).

Jesus nicknamed James and John the “Sons of Thunder” (Boanerges, Mark 3:17), apparently reflecting their passionate and impetuous temperament. On one occasion, they asked Jesus to command fire from heaven upon a Samaritan village that refused them hospitality (Luke 9:54). They also requested places of honour for them in Jesus’ kingdom—one at his right and one at his left—prompting a lesson on servant leadership (Mark 10:35–40).

James belonged to Jesus’ innermost circle, alongside Peter and John. He witnessed key moments of Christ’s ministry unseen by the other apostles: the raising of Jairus’s daughter (Mark 5:37), the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1), and the agony in the Garden of Gethsemane (Mark 14:33). These experiences underscore the profound trust Jesus placed in him.

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The collect for today, the Feast of Saint Mary Magdalene, from The Book of Common Prayer (Canadian, 1962):

ALMIGHTY God, whose blessed Son did sanctify Mary Magdalene, and call her to be a witness to his resurrection: Mercifully grant that by thy grace we may be healed of all our infirmities, and always serve thee in the power of his endless life; who with thee and the Holy Spirit liveth and reigneth, one God, world without end. Amen.

The Lesson: Acts 13:27-31
The Gospel: St John 20:11-18

Artwork: Giuseppe Maria Crespi, Noli me tangere, c. 1688. Oil on canvas, Ashmolean Museum, Oxford.

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