Feast of St Simon and Jude

Since today is the feast day of Sts. Simon and Jude I thought I would print the entire epistle of St. Jude

Jude, a
slave of Jesus Christ and brother of James, to those
who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept safe for Jesus Christ:
may mercy, peace, and love be yours
in abundance.
Beloved, although I was making
every effort to write to you about our common salvation, I now feel
a need to write to encourage you to contend for the faith that was once for all
handed down to the holy ones.
For there have been some intruders,
who long ago were designated for this condemnation, godless persons, who pervert
the grace of our God into licentiousness and who deny our only Master and Lord,
Jesus Christ.
I wish to remind you, although you
know all things, that (the) Lord who once saved a people from the land of Egypt
later destroyed those who did not believe.
The angels too, who did not keep to
their own domain but deserted their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal
chains, in gloom, for the judgment of the great day.
Likewise, Sodom, Gomorrah, and the
surrounding towns, which, in the same manner as they, indulged in sexual
promiscuity and practiced unnatural vice, serve as an example by
undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.
Similarly, these dreamers
nevertheless also defile the flesh, scorn
lordship, and revile glorious beings.
Yet the archangel Michael, when he
argued with the devil in a dispute over the body of Moses, did not venture to
pronounce a reviling judgment upon him but said, "May the Lord
rebuke you!"
But these people revile what they
do not understand and are destroyed by what they know by nature like irrational
animals.
Woe to them! They followed the way
of Cain, abandoned themselves to Balaam's error for the sake of gain, and
perished in the rebellion of Korah.
These are blemishes on your love
feasts, 10 as they carouse fearlessly and look after
themselves. They are waterless clouds blown about by winds, fruitless trees in
late autumn, twice dead and uprooted.
They are like wild waves of the
sea, foaming up their shameless deeds, wandering stars for whom the gloom of
darkness has been reserved forever.
Enoch, of
the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied also about them when he said,
"Behold, the Lord has come with his countless holy ones
to execute judgment on all and to
convict everyone for all the godless deeds that they committed and for all the
harsh words godless sinners have uttered against him."
These people are complainers,
disgruntled ones who live by their desires; their mouths utter bombast as they
fawn over people to gain advantage.
But you, beloved, remember the
words spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ,
for they told you, "In (the) last
time there will be scoffers who will live according to their own godless
desires."
These are the ones who cause
divisions; they live on the natural plane, devoid of the Spirit.
But you, beloved, build yourselves
up in your most holy faith; pray in the holy Spirit.
Keep yourselves in the love of God
and wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.
On those who waver, have mercy;
save others by snatching them out
of the fire; on others have mercy with fear, abhorring
even the outer garment stained by the flesh.
To the one
who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you unblemished and
exultant, in the presence of his glory,
to the only God, our savior,
through Jesus Christ our Lord be glory, majesty, power, and authority from ages
past, now, and for ages to come. Amen.

St. Ephraem On Prayer

Archangel Raphael speaks in the book of Tobit and Tobit replies

Today in the old (pre 1962) Calendar is the feast of St. Raphael the Archangel so I thought I'd post this reading from the book of Tobit. This is when St. Raphael reveals that he is an Angel. The reading is from Tobit 12:15 - 13:17 (Jerusalem Bible)

I am Raphael, one of the seven angels who stand ever ready to enter the presence of the glory of the Lord.' 16 They were both overwhelmed with awe; they fell on their faces in terror. 17 But the angel said, 'Do not be afraid; peace be with you. Bless God for ever. 18 As far as I was concerned, when I was with you, my presence was not by any decision of mine, but by the will of God; he is the one whom you must bless as long as you live, he the one that you must praise. 19 You thought you saw me eating, but that was appearance and no more. 20 Now bless the Lord on earth and give thanks to God. I am about to return to him who sent me from above. Write down all that has happened.' And he rose in the air. 21 When they stood up again, he was no longer visible. They praised God with hymns; they thanked him for having performed such wonders; had not an angel of God appeared to them? And he said: Blessed be God who lives for ever, for his reign endures throughout all ages! 2 For he both punishes and pardons; he sends people down to the depths of the underworld and draws them up from utter Destruction; no one can escape his hand. 3 Declare his praise before the nations, you who are the children of Israel! For if he has scattered you among them, 4 there too he has shown you his greatness. Extol him before all the living; he is our Lord and he is our God; he is our Father, and he is God for ever and ever. 5 Though he punishes you for your iniquities, he will take pity on you all; he will gather you from every nation wherever you have been scattered. 6 If you return to him with all your heart and all your soul, behaving honestly towards him, then he will return to you and hide his face from you no longer. Consider how well he has treated you; loudly give him thanks. Bless the Lord of justice and extol the King of the ages. I for my part sing his praise in the country of my exile; I make his power and greatness known to a nation that has sinned. Sinners, return to him; let your conduct be upright before him; perhaps he will be gracious to you and take pity on you. 7 I for my part extol God and my soul rejoices in the King of heaven. Let his greatness 8 be on every tongue, his praises be sung in Jerusalem. 9 Jerusalem, Holy City, God has scourged you for what you have done but will still take pity on the children of the upright. 10 Thank the Lord as he deserves and bless the King of the ages, that your Temple may be rebuilt with joy within you; within you he may comfort every exile, and within you he may love all those who are distressed, for all generations to come. 11 A bright light will shine over all the regions of the earth; many nations will come from far away, from all the ends of the earth, to dwell close to the holy name of the Lord God, with gifts in their hands for the King of heaven. Within you, generation after generation will proclaim their joy, and the name of her who is Elect will endure through the generations to come. 12 Cursed be any who affront you, cursed be any who destroy you, who throw down your walls, who rase your towers, who burn your houses! Eternally blessed be he who rebuilds you! 13 Then you will exult, and rejoice over the children of the upright, for they will all have been gathered in and will bless the Lord of the ages. 14 Blessed are those who love you, blessed those who rejoice over your peace, blessed those who have mourned over all your punishment! For they will soon rejoice within you, witness all your blessedness in days to come. 15 My soul blesses the Lord, the great King 16 because Jerusalem will be built anew and his house for ever and ever. What bliss, if one of my family be left to see your glory and praise the King of heaven! The gates of Jerusalem will be built of sapphire and of emerald, and all your walls of precious stone, the towers of Jerusalem will built of gold and their battlements of pure gold. 17 The streets of Jerusalem will be paved with ruby and with stones from Ophir; the gates of Jerusalem will resound with songs of exultation; and all her houses will say, 'Alleluia! Blessed be the God of Israel.' Within you they will bless the holy name for ever and ever.