O Lord, who hast taught us that all our doings without charity are
nothing worth: Send thy Holy Ghost, and pour into our hearts that
most excellent gift of charity, the very bond of peace and of all
virtues, without which whosoever liveth is counted dead before
thee: Grant this for thine only Son Jesus Christ's sake. _Amen_.
THE EPISTLE. 1 Cor. xiii. 1.
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have
not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all
mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so
that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.
And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I
give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me
nothing. Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth
not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not
behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily
provoked, thinketh no evil, rejoiceth not in iniquity, but
rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things,
hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth:
but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there
be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it
shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part
shall be done away. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I
understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became
a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass
darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall
I know even as also I am known. And now abideth faith, hope,
charity, these three: but the greatest of these is charity.
THE GOSPEL. St Luke xviii. 31.
Then Jesus took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold,
we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the
prophets concerning the Son of Man shall be accomplished. For he
shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and
spitefully entreated, and spitted on: and they shall scourge him,
and put him to death; and the third day he shall rise again. And
they understood none of these things: and his saying was hid from
them, neither knew they the things which were spoken. And it came
to pass, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind
man sat by the way-side begging: and hearing the multitude pass
by, he asked what it meant. And they told him, that Jesus of
Nazareth passeth by. And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou Son of
David, have mercy on me. And they which went before rebuked him,
that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more,
Thou Son of David, have mercy on me. And Jesus stood, and commanded
him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked
him, saying, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? And he
said, Lord, that I may receive my sight. And Jesus said unto him,
Receive thy sight; thy faith hath saved thee. And immediately he
received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the
people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.