January 8, 2015

Reading

The First Letter of Saint John   4: 19-5:4

4:19	Therefore, let us love God, for God first loved us.
4:20	If anyone says that he loves God, but hates his brother, then he is a liar. For he who does not love his brother, whom he does see, in what way can he love God, whom he does not see?
4:21	And this is the commandment that we have from God, that he who loves God must also love his brother.

5:1	Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ, is born of God. And everyone who loves God, who provides that birth, also loves him who has been born of God.
5:2	In this way, we know that we love those born of God: when we love God and do his commandments.
5:3	For this is the love of God: that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not heavy.
5:4	For all that is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that overcomes the world: our faith.

Gospel

The Holy Gospel According to Luke    4: 14-22

4:14	And Jesus returned, in the power of the Spirit, into Galilee. And his fame spread throughout the entire region.
4:15	And he taught in their synagogues, and he was magnified by everyone.
4:16	And he went to Nazareth, where he had been raised. And he entered into the synagogue, according to his custom, on the Sabbath day. And he rose up to read.
4:17	And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. And as he unrolled the book, he found the place where it was written:
4:18	“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; because of this, he has anointed me. He has sent me to evangelize the poor, to heal the contrite of heart,
4:19	to preach forgiveness to captives and sight to the blind, to release the broken into forgiveness, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord and the day of retribution.”
4:20	And when he had rolled up the book, he returned it to the minister, and he sat down. And the eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on him.
4:21	Then he began to say to them, “On this day, this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
4:22	And everyone gave testimony to him. And they wondered at the words of grace that proceeded from his mouth. And they said, “Is this not the son of Joseph?”