12th Week of Pentecost

Acts 27:1-4,8a,14-15,18-26
When it was decided that we should sail to Italy, they handed Paul and some other prisoners over to a centurion named Julius of the Cohort Augusta. We went on board a ship from Adramyttium bound for ports in the province of Asia and set sail. Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, was with us. On the following day we put in at Sidon where Julius was kind enough to allow Paul to visit his friends who took care of him. From there we put out to sea and sailed around the sheltered side of Cyprus because of the headwinds. We sailed past Crete with difficulty. Before long an offshore wind of hurricane force called a “Northeaster” struck. Since the ship was caught up in it and could not head into the wind we gave way and let ourselves be driven. We were being pounded by the storm so violently that the next day they jettisoned some cargo, and on the third day with their own hands they threw even the ship’s tackle overboard. Neither the sun nor the stars were visible for many days, and no small storm raged. Finally, all hope of our surviving was taken away. When many would no longer eat, Paul stood among them and said, “Men, you should have taken my advice and not have set sail from Crete and you would have avoided this disastrous loss. I urge you now to keep up your courage; not one of you will be lost, only the ship. For last night an angel of the God to whom (I) belong and whom I serve stood by me and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You are destined to stand before Caesar; and behold, for your sake, God has granted safety to all who are sailing with you.’ Therefore, keep up your courage, men; I trust in God that it will turn out as I have been told. We are destined to run aground on some island.”

Luke 12:54-59
He also said to the crowds, “When you see (a) cloud rising in the west you say immediately that it is going to rain–and so it does; and when you notice that the wind is blowing from the south you say that it is going to be hot–and so it is. You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky; why do you not know how to interpret the present time? “Why do you not judge for yourselves what is right? If you are to go with your opponent before a magistrate, make an effort to settle the matter on the way; otherwise your opponent will turn you over to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the constable, and the constable throw you into prison. I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.”

Readings for the Divine Liturgy – Monday of the Twelfth Week of Pentecost
Acts 27:1-4, 8a, 14-15, 18-21a, 22-26 Lk. 12:54-59

Prayer of the Faithful, vol. III
NIGHT PRAYER – OPENING PRAYER
Lord God,
as we trace upon ourselves the sign of your glorious cross,
grant that we may conquer all evil passions
and find a new source of strength to fight against the evil one.
May we draw help and strength from your cross
to confront our visible and invisible enemies;
and we shall exalt your glory,
and that of your Father, and your Holy Spirit,
now and for ever. Amen.

Saint of the Day: Pope Saint Pius X, 1835-1914, reformed the Latin Rite Liturgy, promoted clear preaching, brought back Gregorian Chant, fought Modernism, and passed away lamenting the beginnings of World War I.
Saint Agapius of Edessa, son of Saint Bassa of Edessa. Martyred in the persecutions of Diocletian around 304 in Edessa, Syria.

Meditation:
2. Faith is compounded of many things, and by many kinds is it brought to perfection. For it is like a building that is built up of many pieces of workmanship and so its edifice rises to the top. And know, my beloved, that in the foundations of the building stones are laid, and so resting upon stones the whole edifice rises until it is perfected. Thus also the true Stone, our Lord Jesus Christ, is the foundation of all our faith. And on Him, on [this] Stone faith is based. And resting on faith all the structure rises until it is completed. For it is the foundation that is the beginning of all the building. For when any one is brought near unto faith, it is laid for him upon the Stone, that is our Lord Jesus Christ. And his building cannot be shaken by the waves, nor can it be injured by the winds. By the stormy blasts it does not fall, because its structure is reared upon the rock of the true Stone. And in this that I have called Christ the Stone, I have not spoken of my own thought, but the Prophets beforehand called Him the Stone. And this I shall make clear to you.
3. And now hear concerning faith that is based upon the Stone, and concerning the structure that is reared up upon the Stone. For first a man believes, and when he believes, he loves. When he loves, he hopes. When he hopes, he is justified. When he is justified, he is perfected. When he is perfected, he is consummated. And when his whole structure is raised up, consummated, and perfected, then he becomes a house and a temple for a dwelling-place of Christ, as Jeremiah the Prophet said:— The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord are you, if you amend your ways and your works. And again He said through the Prophet:— I will dwell in them and walk in them. And also the Blessed Apostle thus said:— You are the temple of God and the spirit of Christ dwells in you. And also our Lord again thus said to His disciples:— You are in Me and I am in you. – Aphrahaat, Demonstration I (Of Faith)