02/03/2022
Today in the Advent Orthodox Catholic Church of Antioch is February 3rd the Tuesday of the Fourth Week after the Epiphany and since yesterday was the Feast of the Presentation today we will jump in our readings to 1 Kings 2:1-12;
our Gradual is 1 Chr. 29:10-12 and a continuation of the Holy Gospel according to St. Mark 6:7-13.
In our first reading a dying David counsels Solomon to “keep the mandates of the Lord,” and their lineage stay faithful they will have someone in our “line on throne of Israel.” King David was buried in the City of David among his ancestors.
Our Gradual tells us “In God’s hand is power and might.”
The word Apostle, in its literal sense, is an emissary, from Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος, meaning literally "one who is sent off", from the verb ἀποστέλλειν, "to send off.”
In todays reading Jesus “sends off” the 12 Apostles in groups of two ordering them to “take nothing for the journey but a walking stick
–no food, no sack, no money in their belts. They were, however, to wear sandals but not a second tunic.
He said to them,
‘Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave from there.
Whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you,
leave there and shake the dust off your feet in testimony against them.’
So they went off and preached repentance. The Twelve drove out many demons, and they anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.”
This of course was a trial run for the bigger “send off” after the Ascension of Christ. We see the Apostles successors today in our Bishops, the Administrators and Hierarchy of todays church. Please pray for all our church and bishops. The church is the bride of Christ and it’s leaders are those called by Him!
