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7, Baramhat 1741 (Sunday, 16 March 2025)

Sunday of the Third week of the Holy Lent

Vespers

Psalm

Psalms 88:1-2

1O Lord, God of my salvation, I have cried out day and night before You.2Let my prayer come before You; Incline Your ear to my cry.

Gospel

Matthew 15:1-20

1Then the scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying,2Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.3He answered and said to them, Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?4For God commanded, saying, `Honor your father and your mother'; and, `He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.'5But you say, `Whoever says to his father or mother, Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God--6`then he need not honor his father or mother.' Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition.7Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:8`These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me.9And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'10When He had called the multitude to Himself, He said to them, Hear and understand:11Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.12Then His disciples came and said to Him, Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?13But He answered and said, Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted.14Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch.15Then Peter answered and said to Him, Explain this parable to us.16So Jesus said, Are you also still without understanding?17Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated?18But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man.19For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.20These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man.

Matins

Psalm

Psalms 55:1-2, 16

1Give ear to my prayer, O God, And do not hide Yourself from my supplication.2Attend to me, and hear me
16I will call upon God, And the Lord shall save me.

Gospel

Matthew 20:1-16

1For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.2Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.3And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace,4and said to them, `You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.' So they went.5Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise.6And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle, and said to them, `Why have you been standing here idle all day?'7They said to him, `Because no one hired us.' He said to them, `You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right you will receive.'8So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, `Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.'9And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius.10But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius.11And when they had received it, they complained against the landowner,12saying, `These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.'13But he answered one of them and said, `Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius?14`Take what is yours and go your way. I wish to give to this last man the same as to you.15`Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is your eye evil because I am good?'16So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few chosen.

Liturgy

Pauline

2 Corinthians 6:2-13

2For He says: In an acceptable time I have heard you, And in the day of salvation I have helped you. Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.3We give no offense in anything, that our ministry may not be blamed.4But in all things we commend ourselves as ministers of God: in much patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses,5in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in fastings;6by purity, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by sincere love,7by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left,8by honor and dishonor, by evil report and good report; as deceivers, and yet true;9as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold we live; as chastened, and yet not killed;10as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.11O Corinthians! We have spoken openly to you, our heart is wide open.12You are not restricted by us, but you are restricted by your own affections.13Now in return for the same (I speak as to children), you also be open.

Catholic

James 3:1-12

1My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.2For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body.3Indeed, we put bits in horses' mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body.4Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires.5Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles!6And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell.7For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind.8But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.9With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God.10Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so.11Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening?12Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh.

Acts

Acts 24:1-23

1Now after five days Ananias the high priest came down with the elders and a certain orator named Tertullus. These gave evidence to the governor against Paul.2And when he was called upon, Tertullus began his accusation, saying: Seeing that through you we enjoy great peace, and prosperity is being brought to this nation by your foresight,3we accept it always and in all places, most noble Felix, with all thankfulness.4Nevertheless, not to be tedious to you any further, I beg you to hear, by your courtesy, a few words from us.5For we have found this man a plague, a creator of dissension among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes.6He even tried to profane the temple, and we seized him, and wanted to judge him according to our law.7But the commander Lysias came by and with great violence took him out of our hands,8commanding his accusers to come to you. By examining him yourself you may ascertain all these things of which we accuse him.9And the Jews also assented, maintaining that these things were so.10Then Paul, after the governor had nodded to him to speak, answered: Inasmuch as I know that you have been for many years a judge of this nation, I do the more cheerfully answer for myself,11because you may ascertain that it is no more than twelve days since I went up to Jerusalem to worship.12And they neither found me in the temple disputing with anyone nor inciting the crowd, either in the synagogues or in the city.13Nor can they prove the things of which they now accuse me.14But this I confess to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect, so I worship the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the Law and in the Prophets.15I have hope in God, which they themselves also accept, that there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust.16This being so, I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men.17Now after many years I came to bring alms and offerings to my nation,18in the midst of which some Jews from Asia found me purified in the temple, neither with a mob nor with tumult.19They ought to have been here before you to object if they had anything against me.20Or else let those who are here themselves say if they found any wrongdoing in me while I stood before the council,21unless it is for this one statement which I cried out, standing among them, `Concerning the resurrection of the dead I am being judged by you this day.'22But when Felix heard these things, having more accurate knowledge of the Way, he adjourned the proceedings and said, When Lysias the commander comes down, I will make a decision on your case.23So he commanded the centurion to keep Paul and to let him have liberty, and told him not to forbid any of his friends to provide for or visit him.

Psalm

Psalms 79:8-9

8Oh, do not remember former iniquities against us! Let Your tender mercies come speedily to meet us, For we have been brought very low.9Help us, O God of our salvation, For the glory of Your name

Gospel

Luke 15:11-32

11Then He said: A certain man had two sons.12And the younger of them said to his father, `Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.' So he divided to them his livelihood.13And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living.14But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want.15Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.16And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.17But when he came to himself, he said, `How many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!18`I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you,19and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants. '20And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.21And the son said to him, `Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.'22But the father said to his servants, `Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet.23`And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry;24`for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' And they began to be merry.25Now his older son was in the field. And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing.26So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant.27And he said to him, `Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.'28But he was angry and would not go in. Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him.29So he answered and said to his father, `Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends.30`But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.'31And he said to him, `Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours.32`It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.'

Evening

Psalm

Psalms 30:1-3

1I will extol You, O Lord, for You have lifted me up, And have not let my foes rejoice over me.2O Lord my God, I cried out to You, And You healed me.3O Lord, You brought my soul up from the grave

Gospel

Matthew 21:28-32

28But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, `Son, go, work today in my vineyard.'29He answered and said, `I will not,' but afterward he regretted it and went.30Then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, `I go, sir,' but he did not go.31Which of the two did the will of his father? They said to Him, The first. Jesus said to them, Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you.32For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward relent and believe him.