Bede of Jarrow
The Venerable
Priest, Monk, Historian, Scholar
AD 735
Feast Day: May 25
Readings and Collect for the Eucharist, according to the use of the Episcopal Church, USA
Wisdom 7:15-22
Matthew 13:47-52
Psalm 78:1-4 or
Psalm 19:7-11 (12-14)
Collect:
Heavenly Father, you called your servant Bede, while still a child, to devote his life to your service in the disciplines of religion and scholarship: Grant that as he labored in the Spirit to bring the riches of your truth to his generation, so we, in our various vocations, may strive to make you known in all the world; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.
First Reading
Wisdom 7:15-22
May God grant me to speak with judgment,
and to have thoughts worthy of what I have received;
for he is the guide even of wisdom
and the corrector of the wise.
For both we and our words are in his hand,
as are all understanding and skill in crafts.
For it is he who gave me unerring knowledge of what exists,
to know the structure of the world and the activity of the elements;
the beginning and end and middle of times,
the alternations of the solstices and the changes of the seasons,
the cycles of the year and the constellations of the stars,
the natures of animals and the tempers of wild animals,
the powers of spirits and the thoughts of human beings,
the varieties of plants and the virtues of roots;
I learned both what is secret and what is manifest,
for wisdom, the fashioner of all things, taught me.
There is in her a spirit that is intelligent, holy,
unique, manifold, subtle,
mobile, clear, unpolluted,
distinct, invulnerable, loving the good, keen,
irresistible.
The Psalm
Psalm 78:1-4 Attendite, popule
1 Hear my teaching, O my people; *
incline your ears to the words of my mouth. 2 I will open my mouth in a parable; *
I will pour forth mysteries from of old, 3 Such as we have heard and known, *
which our forebears have told us. 4 We will not hide from their children,
but will recount to generations to come, *
the praises of the Lord and his power
and the wonderful works he has done.
or
Psalm 19:7-11 (12-14) Caeli enarrant
7 The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul *
the command of the Lord is true, and makes wise the simple. 8 The precepts of the Lord are right, and rejoice the heart *
the commandment of the Lord is pure, and gives light to the eyes. 9 The fear of the Lord is clean, and endures for ever *
the judgements of the Lord are unchanging, and righteous every one. 10 More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold *
sweeter also than honey, than the honey that drips from the comb. 11 Moreover, by them is your servant taught *
and in keeping them there is great reward.
[12 Who can know his own unwitting sins? *
O cleanse me from my secret faults. 13 Keep your servant also from presumptuous sins,
lest they get the mastery over me *
so I shall be clean, and innocent of great offence. 14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable in your sight *
O Lord, my strength and my redeemer.]
Second Reading
Matthew 13:47-52
Jesus said to his disciples, "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
"Have you understood all this?" They answered, "Yes." And he said to them, "Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old."